Zimbabwean artist Wallen Mapondera invites us to listen not to silence, but to excess — to the noise of power, wealth, and spectacle that defines Power Elite (The Mbinga Culture), his SOLO presentation at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2026. Responding to the theme “Echoes of Humanity,” Mapondera turns his attention to the hyper-visible performances of status shaping contemporary Zimbabwean society, where aspiration and anxiety collide in public display. Through this body of work, he probes the structures underpinning these spectacles, asking what they reveal about inequality, political influence, and the shifting values of a generation navigating power in its most conspicuous forms.
A sound piece created especially for the fair by the artist is available at the end of this interview.
In Power Elite (The Mbinga Culture), you examine a culture shaped by wealth, visibility, and displays of power, particularly through social media and public performance. Within the framework of Echoes of Humanity, how do you approach listening to these expressions of status and spectacle? What do they reveal about deeper social desires or anxieties?
In the exhibition Power Elite (The Mbinga Culture), hype is created by the mbingas (Zimbabwean term used to describe a young, affluent person characterised by flashy displays of wealth, newly acquired riches, and sometimes linked to artisanal small-scale mining or political connections) in such a way that it becomes so loud—no Interpretation is needed; it is right in our face.
The noise becomes unignorable and pushes one to start questioning: Am I not working hard enough in life? How is it possible for one person to have such wealth while the rest do not? Where is all this displayed money coming from? Is it the abuse of power, or are these mbingas smart enough to create avenues that generate wealth for generations to come? Why are all the mbingas associated with the ruling political party
Endless questions spring to mind. The exhibition aims to put these questions out there as a way of seeking clarity and understanding of how political dynamics work hand in hand with power, wealth, and social hierarchy.
The SOLO section’s curatorial statement speaks of listening as a relational and ethical act. In a context where visibility and dominance often replace dialogue, how can art create space for a different kind of attention?
We can use the same platforms that are being used for visibility and dominance to create dialogue. The wheel is already there, no need to reinvent it. Approach is key. Art has the power to command even the untouchable. Therefore, if there is room for noise to be heard, there is surely room for art to silence that noise and be purely heard. It is all about approach.
Presenting this body of work at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair places it within a broader African and global conversation about wealth, inequality, and representation. How do you hope audiences will listen to the work beyond its surface commentary, and what reflections about humanity do you hope will linger after encountering the “Power Elite?”
Greediness has taken over Africa. Those who have keep wanting more and more, while those without are being taken advantage of. Through this exhibition, my hope is to plant a seed of caring within the power elite. They have control and influence over many economic sectors, but giving back even a little to the vulnerable and disadvantaged will not make them weak or poor. African minerals are being exploited left, right and centre through their authority, leaving nothing for the African child. At the very least, the basics should be accessible, even if they cannot afford to see us in luxury.
Wallen Mapondera is represented by SMAC Gallery
Wallen Mapondera: Power Elite (The Mbinga Culture) (2026). Courtesy of the artist.