Reading History

Metaphoric visual expressions in African art: an iconographical analysis of selected artworks by contemporary visual artists

by Mpofu, Njabulo

Contemporary African artworks in their diversity are rich carriers of cultural meaning and values. In African art, there is an evolution in the context of visual metaphors as artists create narratives that are cognisant of global aesthetic developments. This study examines the creation and interpretation of indigenous visual metaphors by four selected contemporary Zimbabwean visual artists. An interpretive research design was used and this informed the use of in-depth interviews with purposively selected artists, studio observations, and artwork analysis to generate data. The diversity of art genres, media, and the creation of metaphoric artworks determined the sampling of artists. Findings revealed that visual metaphoric creations were inspired by community experiences and other artists. Visual metaphors were pronounced as vehicles for transmitting community messages. This study recommends extending the creation and interpretation of indigenous visual metaphors to the art education curriculum to inform culturally relevant and diverse practices. © 2024 International Visual Sociology Association.