Hope (sleeping) - SOLD
Richard Mudariki (b 1985)
Hope (sleeping) - 2016
Oil on canvas
80 x 70 cm
Signed and dated bottom right
Sold - 2016
In a traditional Shona family, the arrangement and layout of the
homestead and the interpretation of dreams is held in high regard.
The older boys and girls in a family would sleep in separate
round thatched huts called ‘gota’ for boys and ‘nhanga’ for girls,
usually on sleeping mats made out of reeds. The parents would
have their own separate hut. Although sleep is crucial for rest, it
is not regarded as merely a passive, dormant part of daily life but
is seen as a means of communicating with the ancestral spirits
through dreams. Dreams are seen as baring meaning and providing
important clues to the future. Dreaming of a snake may for example
mean that one is spiritually gifted, while dreaming of food or eating
is a sign or warning that someone is trying to bewitch you.