Beatrice Mashala.

Portfolio.

Title: SERENE.
Medium: Acrylic on canvas.
Size: 71.5cm x 64.5cm.
Year: 2023.

Title: WHAT NOW.
Medium: Acrylic on canvas.
Size: 90cm x 80cm.
Year: 2022.

Artist Statement.

My work depicts my own life experiences and those of my family and community in a subtle way. Art is my therapy it’s the only way I can genuinely express myself. For me, the essence of life is found in my artistry. My inspiration stems from personal life experiences, surroundings, and the ever-changing issues in the contemporary world. I am very interested in engaging my viewers in deep conversations, because that’s what art is all about. To captivate someone to stop for a long time.

Beatrice Mashala goes through many iterations before she feels ready to start a painting. It all starts with an idea, when the concept comes to her mind, she usually writes it down and creates images of how far she wants to take her creativity. She then proceeds to do photo shoots to create reference photos for her paintings, does small sketching, and proceeds to her canvas to create the work which involves multiple layers of brush strokes to breathe life into what was once a blank canvas.

Artist Biography.

Beatrice Mashala is a figurative artist born in 1991 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She is a self-taught artist who works in painting medium using acrylic. Her love for art stemmed at a very young age when she discovered her innate ability to transpose information and happenings in her society into a magnificent work of art. Beatrice Mashala started learning about portrait drawing during her Secondary school days. And has been able to hone her skills through constant practice and experimenting with different mediums like graphite, pastel, and charcoal pencils, it has not been a swift journey, but it was worth it.

Themes in her works revolve around personal experiences, the experiences of her loved ones, and society in general. Her works embody and exude love, hope, and joy. Her works have been exhibited at the Chinese Cultural Centre, the Iranian Culture Centre, Alliance Française. Emergent art space, Nafasi Artspace, village market in Nairobi Kenya, and at the Residence of the United States ambassador in Dar es Salaam Tanzania.