Portia Zvavahera's 'Like Flowers We Fade' at Fondazione Memmo

Portia Zvavahera's first institutional solo exhibition in Italy, 'Like Flowers We Fade', opened in April at Fondazione Memmo in Rome, running until November 1, 2026. Curated by Alessio Antonielli, the show features a site-specific installation and new works developed during her Roman residency. The exhibition marks a turning point in her recent practice, expanding autobiographical grief into reflections on transcendence and the sacredness of the self. Her paintings, executed in oil-based printing ink and oil bar on linen, are dense with materiality and color, evoking veins, tears, and prayers. Works like 'Kuona dombo jena (White stone vision)' depict religious postures and volcanic light, while 'Muti wehupenyu 2 (Tree of life 2)' and 'Ruva guru raenda (The big flower has faded)' explore mineral-like tangles and vertical tensions. Zvavahera blends religious syncretism with Western contemporary painting, drawing on Shona traditions where the living and dead are interconnected. The exhibition transforms the gallery into a generative space where each painting feels like an exploded star.