Sherman Baloyi Brings Zimbabwean Ingenuity to Decorex Africa.
- Staff Writer
- Jul 23
- 2 min read
by artweb
In a stirring celebration of Zimbabwean creativity, multidisciplinary artist and designer Sherman Baloyi is set to make waves at Decorex Africa in Johannesburg, the continent’s premier décor and design exhibition. From bold furniture and richly layered paintings to fashion accessories made from reclaimed materials, Baloyi’s Decorex debut is not only a milestone in his personal journey, it’s a proud moment for Zimbabwe and African design at large.
Baloyi, founder of OnaDsgn, has spent nearly two decades pushing boundaries across visual disciplines. His design practice, launched in 2015, has long stood at the intersection of brand identity, storytelling, and user experience. But it is his recent pivot toward circular design and material regeneration that is capturing global attention. At Decorex, Baloyi showcases a collection that breathes new life into discarded plastics, textiles, and industrial offcuts, demonstrating how overlooked objects can be transformed into powerful visual statements.
“I see my work as a window to potential,” says Baloyi. “My goal is to show that waste isn’t the end of something, it’s the beginning of profound beauty in its glorious entirety.”
Raised and trained in Zimbabwe, earning a National Diploma in Art & Design, a annex of the Bulawayo Polytechnic, Baloyi draws deeply from African material culture, pattern traditions, and everyday aesthetics. His creations are imbued with texture, rhythm, and meaning, connecting the tactile world with larger narratives about value, consumption, and sustainability.
At the heart of this practice is Onaso, a platform he launched in 2023 to explore creativity’s role in climate consciousness and community engagement. Through this lens, his Decorex installation is as much a statement of environmental activism as it is a celebration of African design excellence.
“Zimbabwe may be compact population-wise,” Baloyi notes, “but our ideas and heritage are vast. Sustainability is not imported, it’s something our ancestors practiced instinctively. We are just reconnecting with that wisdom.”
Visitors to the show will encounter a multidimensional experience that fuses art, furniture, and product design into a singular, immersive offering. The works are not only visually captivating - bold patterns on minimalist forms, functional objects with fine-art detail - they also spark timely conversations around circularity, resourcefulness, and cultural memory.
Visit Decorex Africa in Johannesburg to experience Baloyi’s latest body of work.
Follow @iamshermanbaloyi on social media for more.
