Shamilla Aasha

Shamilla Aasha
Born1977 (age 48–49)
Hwange, Zimbabwe
EducationDiploma in Textile Design, Bulawayo School of Art and Design
OccupationsArtist and teacher of art and design
Years active2007–present

Shamilla Aasha (born 1977) is a Zimbabwean artist and teacher of art and design. Her artworks, made with mixed media painting, textiles and found materials, address culture, traditional practice, identity, spirituality and women's social status in her community.

Since her solo exhibition in 2010, Aasha's artworks have been exhibited at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo and Harare, Artissima in Turin, the Investec Cape Town Art Fair in Cape Town, and the RMB Latitudes Art Fair in Johannesburg.

Early life and education

Aasha was born in 1977 in Hwange, Zimbabwe, and was raised and educated in Bulawayo. In 2000, she graduated with a Diploma in Textile Design from the Bulawayo School of Art and Design.

After many years of painting and mixed media, Aasha re-engaged with textiles in 2018 through her multi-cultural background as a Shona and Indian woman living in the Matabeleland region of Zimbabwe. She had a solo exhibition, Ties That Bind, in the same year at First Floor Gallery, where she merged traditional sari and java with new fabrics, sewing patterns, pages of old books and writing. Her artworks include weaving, tapestry, soft sculptures, found-object wall hangings and abstract embroideries.

Aasha has calls to these artworks as sacred objects where she uses sewing patterns, fabric and stitching to create new patterns from the old.

Career

Aasha has been active in exhibitions locally, regionally and internationally since the late 2000s. In 2007, Aasha took part in the Woman of the Cloth and Stone exhibition at the Embassy of the United States of America in Zimbabwe, Harare. In 2009, she exhibited in Confrontation and Reconciliation at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. In 2010, she had the solo exhibition Calling of my Soul at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.

In 2018, she exhibited in the BUKA group exhibition at The Suttie Art Space in Aberdeen, the Harare Contemporary exhibition at Circle Art Gallery in Nairobi, and Ties That Bind at First Floor Gallery Harare.

In 2019, Aasha showcase in the Better Balance Women's Exhibition at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare. She also took part in the Nyika/Ilizwe/Nation Workshop, a Zimbabwe and South Africa collaborative project on the participation of women in land redistribution in Southern Africa.

Selected exhibitions

YearExhibitionVenue / LocationReference
2024"To Those Who Came Before Me" (group)First Floor Gallery Harare, Harare, Zimbabwe
2023"Tomorrows/Today" (solo)Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Cape Town, South Africa
2022ArtissimaTurin, Italy
2021"Breathing Time" (solo)First Floor Gallery Harare, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Shamilla Aasha". Strauss & Co. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  2. ↑ "Shamilla Aasha". South South. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  3. ↑ "Stitching Memory and Belonging: In Conversation with Shamilla Aasha". TXtileZine. 13 May 2026. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  4. ↑ Karengezeka-Chisepo, Yeukai (4 February 2018). "Zim, India cultures under spotlight". The Herald. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Shamilla Aasha: Biography and CV". First Floor Gallery Harare. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "Harare Contemporary" (PDF). Circle Art Agency. 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "American Sculptor Hails Zimbabwean Women Artists". AllAfrica. 25 March 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Textile exhibition to encourage women of Harare". AlchemPro. 14 March 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  9. ↑ Kriel, Margaret. "Letters from Zimbabwe". Morning Mirror. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  10. ↑ Nyampenza, Nyadzombe (December 13, 2024). "Byo‑based Aasha takes on Harare art scene". NewsDay Zimbabwe. Retrieved August 11, 2026.