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Untitled

Kudzanai Chiurai. Untitled. 2008/2010 and We Always Have Reason to Fear. 2009

Top left: Kudzanai Chiurai (Zimbabwean, born 1981; lives Johannesburg). Untitled. 2008/2010. Stencils and paint. Composition: 75 x 45" (190.5 x 114.3 cm). Installation view at MoMA. Acquired through the generosity of the Vascovitz Family, 2010. © 2011 Kudzanai Chiurai. Bottom left: The artist stencils on the street, Johannesburg, 2008. © 2011 Kudzanai Chiurai. Photograph by Lawrence Lemoana. Right: Kudzanai Chiurai (Zimbabwean, born 1981; lives Johannesburg). We Always Have Reason to Fear. 2009. Lithographed poster. Composition: 22 5/16 x 14 7/8" (56.6 x 37.8 cm); sheet: 23 15/16 x 16 15/16" (60.8 x 43 cm). Publisher: the artist, Johannesburg. Printer: Lucas Kutu, Johannesburg. Edition: approximately 250. Acquired through the generosity of the Vascovitz Family, 2010. © 2011 Kudzanai Chiurai

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As Zimbabwe’s 2008 presidential elections approached, in a time of xenophobic violence in South Africa toward Zimbabweans and other African immigrants, Kudzanai Chiurai created outdoor murals in Johannesburg (based on images from the media) using stencils and spray paint. He also staged a poster installation and mock election, designing a ballot that named numerous African dictators, including Robert Mugabe, as candidates. Together these works draw attention to violence and corruption in Zimbabwe, issues that extend beyond the borders of the country and its neighbor South Africa, affecting much of the continent.