The otherworldly beings that populate the prints and paintings of Portia Zvavahera have migrated from her dreams. With their spectral features, inscrutable expressions and often gangly limbs, these spirit creatures range from curious to menacing – and sometimes manage to be both at once. Zvavahera was born in 1985 in Harare, where she still lives and works. Her art is shaped by her Shona heritage: much of the patterning in her work resembles Zimbabwean textile designs and the titles of her exhibitions tend to be in both English and Shona. Some of her imagery is also informed by her Pentecostal upbringing – serpents, for instance, rear up in some of her recent work. ‘Hidden Battles/Hondo dzakavanzika’ – which comprises seven works by the artist, three of which are on display for the first time – is at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, until 19 January 2026.
Where is your studio and what is it like?
Harare. It almost feels like a big church. For me, that’s how it feels, like I’m worshipping. It’s the place where I pour my heart out. In that sense it’s also like a secret place, my hiding space, where I get to express everything that’s within me, in that moment when I don’t want anyone else around.
Is there anything you dislike about your studio?
I like everything about my studio. I even like the part when the paintings are difficult. It’s not like every painting comes to an easy resolution or a conclusion. Sometimes there are challenges, but I love that.
What does your studio routine look like?
I have a little daughter so, when I wake up, I make porridge, she eats, and then we go to the studio. In front of my studio there’s a riverbed that doesn’t have any water, so it feels more like a forest. And there’s a big mountain behind my studio. So sometimes we take walks there, or we go there to pray for a while. Then we come back, and that’s when we start painting. That’s my routine.
Sometimes I spend the whole day in the studio, other times just two hours. I’ll often go home, make dinner or lunch, and then come back. Sometimes I just want to be there for mornings, and in the afternoon I go somewhere else to feel refreshed. Especially when I’m trying to solve a certain problem in the studio, I have to spend time away from it because otherwise I end up destroying a nice painting.
Do you listen to anything when you’re working?
I don’t listen to anything.
What is your most well-thumbed book?
My Bible. I used to have only one, but I decided to buy a second – one for home and one for the studio. The one in my studio is the English version and the one at home is the Shona version. I keep the English version in the studio because when people come to visit it helps me explain things more clearly in English.
As told to Arjun Sajip.
‘Hidden Battles/Hondo dzakavanzika’ is at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, until 19 January 2026.