Dana Whabira was born in London and grew up in Zimbabwe. Her parentage and cultural heritage echoes from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Russia, and Argentina, making her an artist that hosts a unique set of cultural influences. She is a trained architect, artist and cultural facilitator. She studied art and design at Central Saint Martin’s College in London. Whabira’s work is a snapshot of all media, including experimental assemblages, installation, spatial intervention, sculptural painting, and photography, which incorporate performance as process.
Whabira was curator of Gwanza Month of Photography 2014 festival under the theme Moonwalking. A reiteration of Moonwalking is planned for 2017 in Detroit.
Her work often takes a story or event as a point of departure, drawing on current affairs, literature, philosophy, and theatre for inspiration, and employs language as a metaphorical device. Last year, she participated in a group show entitled Idea of Self at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. She plans to open a contemporary gallery in the future that will make a lasting contribution to contemporary arts culture in Zimbabwe and the region.