Bokani is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice includes abstract glass painting and computational installations. She is interested in the patterns of integral ecology, our connections to each other and the planet. Bokani lives and works in London.
Bokani exhibited her work in the UK and Europe and has recently been awarded a public art commission by the London Mayor’s Office. The artist has been featured in international publications such as Aljezeera, The Independent and the Art Newspaper. Her work is included in international art collections including the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe and the Soho House group.
Bokani is a Zimbabwean-born artist who moved to the UK as a teenager. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics with Economics from the University of Bath, and a Masters in Computational Art from Goldsmiths College, University of London. Alongside her studio practice Bokani is a climate campaigner, working to promote climate justice in London with local and global partners.
Bokani won the London audition of BBC 1’s The Big Painting Challenge 2018 series and went on to win the public vote in the televised show. A spiritual journey on foot along the Ignatian Camino in northern Spain led Bokani to make a commitment to pursue her artistic calling.
Since 2015, Bokani has shown paintings and installations in wide-ranging group exhibitions across the UK, USA and in France, and she has had two solo exhibitions in London. In 2022, Bokani’s solo exhibition at Fiztrovia Chapel featured an important series of stained glass paintings that reflected the site’s rich history as a hospital chapel.
Bokani has produced billboards installed across the UK as part of Black Outdoor Art.
Bokani was invited to be the International Artist In Residence at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe for two months which included a solo exhibition.
Press
Art Review - Gucci Art Program: Acts of Translation
The Chronicle - "Sibone Okunye"- a maternal tale
The Sunday News- 'Exploring the stories of women'
The Independent - ‘Fine art can be black’
The Telegraph - The Big Painting Challenge
BBC 1 - The Big Painting Challenge, Winner of the Public Vote, 2018
The Guardian - Social enterprise lessons from the American South
Contact: hello@artbybokani.com
Education
University of Bath
Politics with Economics BSc - 2009
Goldsmiths College, University of London
Computational Art, MA - 2022
Selected Exhibitions
Conversations, Walker Art Gallery, (Liverpool, UK), 2024
Sibone Okunye (solo), National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, 2023
Beyond Figuration: Then and Now, Gillian Jason Gallery, (London, UK) 2023
Untold Stories, A public art commission by the London Mayor’s Office for a mural in Freston Road, 2023
Mystical Nature, Roman Road Gallery, (London, UK) 2022
In Conversation Now! Shapero Rare Books, (London, UK) 2022
Some of us are brave III (Oxford, UK) 2022
#BlackArtOutdoors Billboards (London, Leeds, Bristol, UK)2020-2021
Port of Call, Changing Room Gallery, (London, UK) 2021
ING Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, (London, UK)2021
Some of us are brave II , Stratford Library,(London, UK) 2021
The New Hues Of Blackness, MYO Victoria, (London, UK) 2021
Kaleidoscope: A Celebration of Colour, Drian Gallery (London, UK), 2021
Shivers, Goldsmiths College, (London, UK) 2021
Some of us are brave, JM Gallery,(London, UK) 2021
Advent 2020, St Paul's Hammersmith, 2020
Bare & Bond, Old Bank Vault (London, UK), 2019
Art for Air, Old Bank Vault (London, UK), 2019
Blessed Art Thou Amongst Women, Mount St Jesuit Centre (London, UK), 2019
getLerped, Goldsmiths College (London, UK), 2018
Renaissance, Espace7 (Paris, France), 2018
Chapter Ten, Library Members Club (London, UK), 2018
Still Life, Glasgow Distillery (Glasgow, Scotland), 2017
Still Life, House for an Art Lover, (Glasgow, Scotland), 2017
Landscape, Westonbirt Arboretum (Cotsworld, UK), 2017
Expression, Library Members Club (London, UK) , 2015 – Solo show
artist
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Photo: Becky Mursell