Dennis Zgambo

Dennis was born on 27 May 1974, in Kazialwe Village in the Mzimba district of Malawi, but grew up in the Kasungu District.

From a young age, Dennis was labelled as an artist by his friends and family. He spent most of his youth drawing and painting, using natural pigments he sourced from his native surroundings.

In 1991 he believes he was called to become an artist through a message from God.

Dennis moved to South Africa with hopes of building a future for himself and his family through his art, even though he is self-taught with no formal training. During this time Dennis lived on the street of Alexandra, an informal settlement just outside of Johannesburg.

After no success in finding work in South Africa, Dennis returned home to Malawi in 2004, where he spent the next four years supporting his family by selling his artworks in and around his hometown. During this time, he continued teaching himself different forms of styles and techniques in art before returning to South Africa in late 2008 with his wife and children. This time around, Dennis moved to the informal settlement of “Diepsloot,” between Pretoria and Johannesburg. Not letting anything stop his ambitions, Dennis worked in gardens and took whatever work he could find to support his family. From the little money he could put aside, Dennis would work on producing artworks which he displayed along the roadside in hope of selling to passers-by.

In 2010, he was discovered by various art galleries and his journey as a full-time artist began.

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Freestyle
It must be mentioned that Dennis can draw in any style, from super-fine photorealism using the finest pencil to using thicker mediums like pastel, chalk, or even acrylic paint. However, charcoal is the medium that he has found to be most appealing and quickest to record his thoughts in, and he accomplishes that in this medium almost as fast as he comes up with them.

His freestyle sketches are a reflection of life and all the joys that can be found in the memories and moments of times once lived through. “Less is more” would be the appropriate quote to describe what you’ll feel when you find yourself staring at what might come across as a simple sketch, because as you get drawn into the intricacies beyond the focal points, you’ll start to realize just how much life is flowing over the white background.

“I feel peaceful when I view these sketches, as they have a way of making everything around me seem quieter and allow me to reminisce or think in silence.”

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Medium – Charcoal on Paper
This is the foundation of his portfolio. Dennis sketches almost as fast as he thinks. With every new medium, every subject matter, and every story he wants to tell, Dennis will start to draw out his ideas as if recording his thoughts on paper.

This collection is for everyone—an opportunity to own a piece of his legacy. Some of these sketches are study works, while others are conceptual works for larger ideas, but all of them are artworks created with the same amount of passion and care that he applies in any artwork. Treated with fixative, these works are all protected and will outlive us all.

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Mixed Medium and Acrylic on Canvas
In close relation to his mixed medium works on paper, this line of works is produced on canvas using acrylic instead of charcoal, along with gouache.

“I believe that an artwork doesn’t always have to be perfect and complete, but should rather allow for the viewer to use their own imagination to complete the artwork in a way that makes it perfect for them.”
— Dennis Zgambo