Biography

Phillpah Rumano was born in 1988 in Harare, Zimbabwe. Bred in a family of sculptors, she was enrolled at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe for part-time drawing classes whilst completing her secondary education. Rumano later ventured into fashion design and pattern making. She is currently both residing and studying in South Africa.

Rumano was commissioned as part of a group project to make a print for a calendar on Women's role in activism, past and present ILRIG (the International Labour Research and Information Group, Cape Town). Rumano's prints are also a part of a group show, Waste reclaimers, exhibited at Documenta 15, 2022 in Kassel, Germany, part of the Artist Proof Studio, University of Johannesburg & University of Pretoria student print collaboration exchange. She plans to continue practicing as an artist and printmaker.

Artist Statement

I am intrigued by how I manage to survive amidst the chaos of a world that thrives on political greed, pandemics and economic depression. To survive and adapt I have to be compliant and agile, creating a high-level of discomfort. My work is a way of coming to terms with the reality of living without shame and facing up to feelings of insecurity.

 I use different types of soft and translucent textiles to reconstruct the human anatomy, representing the delicateness of human fragility. I make use of barbed wire and thorns in contrast to the soft textiles in pursuit of creating a visual sense of the harshness of the world. The presence of distorted faces and bodies in my work is a way of displaying how uncomfortable I often have to be in order to survive in this world, showing how tenacious I constantly have to be. The tearing of textiles, patching and sewing them together is my way of showing the resilience and strength that's in me to withstand pressures imposed on me.