Mahari Chabwera: “They Burned our Drums, So We Drummed Our Bodies”

Mahari Chabwera (born April 11, 1995) makes tapestry paintings at the intersection of mysticism and self-mythologization. She utilizes beads, oil paint, mica, cowrie shells, tempered glass and fabric as painting elements. Employing womanist principles, her work explores the nature of being and the function of the self.  

Chabwera graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a BFA in Painting & Printmaking. In 2019 she was awarded The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Professional Fellowship, and in 2020 she received the Visual Arts Center Emerging Artist Award. In 2021 Chabwera founded Studio House, a live + work space for artists in East Baltimore. In support of the project she was awarded The Grit Fund from the Peale Museum, along with a Maryland State Arts Council Creativity Grant. Chabwera’s work has been acquired by the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, and commissioned by The University of Virginia for their permanent collection. She has participated in residencies with The Contemporary Arts Network and Vermont Studio Center.