Fi2025 Program Series II - Reclamation and Cultural Continuity through the

This program invites Fi25 artist Akudzwe Elsie Chiwa, whose practices explore identity, storytelling, and ancestral knowledge through craft and material traditions for a conversation. Through this dialogue, the goal is to uncover the intersections in the artist’s approaches, the role of craft as an archive, and how this practice serves as acts of reclamation and cultural continuity—to bridge past and present, while honoring generational traditions.

Fiberart International is a triennial exhibition that seeks to exhibit the best of contemporary art and invites submissions that reflect a wide range of works related to the fiber medium. The exhibition is recognized around the world as a benchmark that documents trends and innovations in the field. The 25th edition of the Fiberart International is co-organized by Brew House Arts and Contemporary Craft, with artwork on exhibition at both locations.

Akudzwe Elsie Chiwa (b. 1991, Zimbabwe)
Akudzwe Elsie Chiwa is a Zimbabwean, Shona/ muKaranga visual artist, cultural producer and storyteller born on August 13, 1991, in the small asbestos mining town of Zvishavane near Masvingo, Zimbabwe. Chiwa holds a B.A.F.A and an M.A.F.A from the University of Cape Town’s Michaelis School of Fine Art in Cape Town South Africa.

Her impressive list of accolades includes The Simon Gerson Award, Cecil Skotnes Scholarship, Creative Knowledges Fellowship 2019/2020, and the McIver Award. Notably, Chiwa made history as the first Black womxn to receive the Michealis Prize, honored for her 2018 undergraduate work ‘Continuum.’ Since then, she has actively participated in exhibitions, fairs and projects spanning Southern Africa, Europe, and the USA. Currently, Chiwa resides and practices in Wilkinsburg, PA with her husband and two dogs Icarus and Tucker.

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