Rabbit hole runs deep by Tawanda Takura

Bag Factory is pleased to present Rabbit hole runs deep, a solo exhibition by Tawanda Takura, comprising mixed-media, found object sculpture and painting. In his first solo presentation in South Africa, this year’s Cassirer Welz Award winner, explores the complex co-existence of dualities like freedom and dependence; novelty and recurrence; destiny and accountability; disillusionment and hope; the self and the collective; censorship and expression; memory and healing.

Through his choice of materials — found objects that have lived multiple lives, such as reclaimed wood, shoes and metals — he emphasises themes of recurrence and reclamation and highlights the cyclical nature of power and oppression that can seem impossible to escape. Just as these materials carry histories of their own, Takura’s works channel stories of resistance and resilience within systems that perpetuate inequality. In this new body of work, Takura explores collage painting and introduces new symbolic motifs, underscoring his evolving critique. The mute symbol appearing across various works, speaks to the silencing of dissent and suppression of voices, which are represented by the tongues of shoes, stitched together to form inanimate choirs. Hand-carved chess pieces reflect the artist’s view
of individuals as trapped in a game of hierarchy, war and strategic manipulation. Where the battle is in the mind, the battle field that is a playground for knights, kings and queens while being a graveyard for pawns.

Through its layered compositions and sharp visual metaphors, Rabbit hole runs deep critiques the failures of leadership and governance, presenting a stark but nuanced vision of a nation still grappling with its colonial legacy.