Billie Zangewa's Silk Tapestries Explore Domestic Life at Galerie Templon During Paris Lockdown

Billie Zangewa's exhibition 'Soldier of Love' opened at Galerie Templon in Paris on March 14, 2020, coinciding with France's COVID-19 lockdown announcement by President Emmanuel Macron. The Malawian-born, Johannesburg-based artist presents ten embroidered silk tapestries that depict everyday domestic scenes, with Zangewa herself appearing as protagonist in seven works. Her practice uses textile as a universal sensory medium to explore themes of love, struggle, and identity construction through daily routines. Key works include 'Soldier of Love' (2020), showing the artist walking her son to school; 'Am I Enough?' (2020), a vulnerable self-portrait; 'The Swimming Lesson' (2020), the largest piece depicting her son alone at a pool; and 'Birthday Party' (2020), featuring faceless figures in collective celebration. Zangewa's technique incorporates torn silk sections that suggest trauma and incompleteness, while her compositions shift between serene domesticity and emotional anguish. The exhibition ran through June 6, 2020, with the pandemic context amplifying the works' focus on cherished daily moments now disrupted.