Constant Gardener

Object Details

Billie Zangewa, born 1973, Malawi

Label Text

Billie Zangewa stitches scenes from her life to portray a woman who, as she says, “does not look for approval outside of herself.” Constant Gardener refers to the time after the artist’s son was born and she would sometimes rise at night to plant the fresh produce that would later nourish her child. For Zangewa, sewing is a matter of identity and she prefers to work with the luminous, reflective properties of dupion silk.

Description

Silk patchwork tapestry depicting the artist. She is portrayed at the center of the composition looking at the viewer and wearing a yellow sundress with white trim and spaghetti straps. She holds a trowel in her right hand and a basket of produce in her left. Behind her are the silhouettes of dark trees and a bright blue sky with white clouds. Surrounding her for the lower half of the composition are plants with red and off-white stems, and yellow, pale blue, green and brown leaves. The lower right corner of the composition has been left incomplete intentionally.

Exhibition History

I Am: Contemporary African Women Artists, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., June 20, 2019 - April 3, 2022

Content Statement

As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.

Image Requests

High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by the Annie Laurie Aitken Endowment

2014

Object number

2017-11-1

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Copyright

© 2014 Billie Zangewa

Type

Textile and Fiber Arts

Medium

Dupion silk and synthetic thread

Dimensions

Textile: 138.4 × 106 cm (54 1/2 × 41 3/4 in.)

Frame: 173.4 × 138.4 × 5.4 cm (68 1/4 × 54 1/2 × 2 1/8 in.)

Geography

Malawi

See more items in

National Museum of African Art Collection

National Museum of African Art

Topic

Commemorative

Plant

tree

female

floral

flower

Record ID

nmafa_2017-11-1

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys723d9f7e9-e6ab-4639-96df-ff892127c226