Tamary Kudita is a multi-award-winning fine art photographer, scholar and visual artist, exploring themes of cultural duality, African identity, trans generational memory. Her work aims to portray a new literature which takes on the cultural remaking of the self, contributing to new imaginings of African identities. She graduated from Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town, in 2017 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Subsequently, she established herself in fine art photography thus beginning her artistic career in Zimbabwe.
She is the first African to win the coveted title of the 2021 Open Photographer of The Year from the Sony World Photography Awards. This was the award’s biggest prize for an image from her series ‘African Victorian’. Other awards and accolades include the J.M.D Manyika Fellow awarded by Harvard University (2023). The See Me, Art Takes 2021 Runner Up Prize (2021), The Voices of African Women Journal Most Inspiring Art Piece Award (2020). She has been shortlisted for The International Contemporary African Photography Prize, (2021) and The Henrike Grohs Art Award (2024). Recognized for her talent, the artist received an Honorable Mention in the 2023 International Photography Awards and was nominated for the prestigious James Barnor Prize (2024).
Kudita’s work has been exhibited and auctioned by leading auction house ‘Aspire Auctions’ in South Africa. Previous solo exhibitions have taken place at The Xposure International photography awards, Sharjah UAE (2024), The Betsy - Art Basel/ Art Week Miami Beach, Florida (2021-2022) and PH Centre Gallery Cape town, South Africa (2018). Group shows include: Investec Cape Town Art Fair (2024) Sony World Photography Awards, Willy- Brandt- Haus, Berlin, Germany, (2022) IPE 163, The Royal Photographic Society, Bristol, UK, (2022), Akka Project, Dubai Art Expo, Dubai, (2022) Shifting Narratives, The Melrose Gallery, South Africa, (2022) Reframing History, Photo Vogue Festival, Milan, Italy, (2021).
Kudita has been featured on various international media outlets and publications such as BBC News, CNN International, Forbes, Vogue Italia, National Public Radio (USA). Her work graces prestigious permanent art collections like: The Art Fitchburg Museum (Massachusetts), The Betsy Gallery (Florida), The Celebrity Edge Cruise Ship, and Parish, the gripping new AMC productions tv series.
