Reimagine Trash at Modzi Arts’ New Exhibition

Have you ever looked at trash and seen a masterpiece in the making? Well, Modzi Arts recently opened an exhibition featuring art made by two of their artists in residence, Daudi Yves and Vincent Temu, who breathed new life into old books and discarded slippers. This exhibition is more than just art – it is a challenge to how we view waste and it carries a message about sustainability, I left feeling inspired to rethink my own relationship with trash and how I can live more sustainably. This exhibit is open until 17th March 2024 but here is a sneak peek at the incredible art.

Daudi Yves – Steps of Hope

Daudi’s Steps of Hope is a body of work born from personal reflections about giving and community through the motif of shoes. Daudi embarked on providing new slippers to children in his community and was inspired to not discard the old ones but rather use them to create art and invite people to walk in the shoes of other communities in our society. He incorporated mirrors into some pieces as a medium to draw the viewer to a place of introspection

True to his art roots, Daudi uses the balance of red and blue colour throughout his collection, a reminder of his philosophy of needing to take the good with the bad, and that this balance is the lifelong battle we have to strike. Most of his pieces are available for purchase at the silent auction and all proceeds will be allocated to Future Child Foundation, Daudi’s non-profit that was birthed to create a sustainable life for all classes of children in Zambia.

Vincent Temu – Dreams Unbound | Memories on Paper

Dreams Unbound | Memories on Paper is Vincent’s expression of personal dreams and memories through paper based collages. He sourced all the paper from books that Modzi discarded after shifting their base to their current Ibex location. The up-cycled art has layered interpretations of memories from his mother’s village and also explores social constructs of resilience and femininity through the heads of sculpted collage and paper scales that are meticulously arranged on canvas.

Vincent’s intricate sculptures take different forms and have bottle caps for eyes, his personal approach to emphasize that a person’s value should not be solely determined by societal perceptions and how the importance of one’s essence should go beyond their physical appearances.