Portia Zvavahera's Hidden Battles / Hondo Dzakavanzika Opens at ICA Boston, USA in August 2025.
- Staff Writer
- Jul 15
- 2 min read
by artweb
The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) will host "Hidden Battles / Hondo dzakavanzika," Portia Zvavahera’s first solo museum exhibition in the United States. Running from August 28, 2025, through January 19, 2026, this significant exhibition represents Zvavahera's third major international showcase in less than 24 months, following acclaimed presentations at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris and Kettle's Yard, University of Cambridge.
The exhibition title "Hidden Battles / Hondo dzakavanzika" denotes inner struggles -spiritual, emotional, and/or artistic - that deeply inform Zvavahera’s creative process. Known for her intense spiritual imagery and dreamlike symbolism, Zvavahera’s recent works presented in this exhibition explore the profound symbolic role of animals and the broader themes of transformation, transition, and transcendence.
Zvavahera’s technique merges painting and printmaking, integrating traditional Zimbabwean textile motifs into vibrant, layered compositions. Raised within the African Pentecostal tradition, Zvavahera’s work balances elements of Christian spirituality and animistic cosmologies, positioning the act of painting itself as a spiritual practice. Her evocative figures commune with spirits, animals, and angels, creating vivid dialogues between comforting presences and unsettling dreams.
Listed as number one on the artweb POWER 100 in 2024, Zvavahera was born in 1985 in Harare, Zimbabwe, where she currently lives and works. She studied at the BAT Visual Arts Studio, National Gallery of Zimbabwe (2003–2005), and earned her diploma in fine arts from Harare Polytechnic in 2006.
Zvavahera’s notable international exhibitions include "Ndakaoneswa murima" (David Zwirner, New York, 2021) and "Ndakavata pasi ndikamutswa nekuti anonditsigira" (David Zwirner, London, 2020). She has held several solo exhibitions with Stevenson (Cape Town and Johannesburg, 2014–2020), and Marc Foxx Gallery (Los Angeles, 2017). Her significant institutional exhibitions include "Under My Skin" (National Gallery of Zimbabwe, 2010), "Walk of Life" (Institute of Contemporary Art Indian Ocean, Mauritius, 2020), and the Zimbabwean Pavilion exhibition "Dudziro: Interrogating the Visions of Religious Beliefs" at the 55th Venice Biennale (2013). Her work was also featured in the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022.
In 2024, "Zvakazarurwa," curated by Tamar Garb, was presented by Kettle’s Yard, University of Cambridge, and traveled to Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, in 2025. The Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, showcased "Imba yerumbidzo (house of praise)," part of its Open Space series, in 2024.
Zvavahera’s artworks are held in numerous prestigious collections worldwide, including the Johannesburg Art Gallery, Minneapolis Institute of Art, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Pérez Art Museum Miami, Tate (UK), University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Weisman Art Museum (University of Minnesota), and Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town.*
For more information visit https://www.icaboston.org/exhibitions/portia-zvavahera/
*David Zwiner
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