New College hangs portrait of Dambudzo Marechera in Hall

Last week, a portrait of Dambudzo Marechera was hung in New College's dining hall. The striking portrait was painted by eminent artist Nina Mae Fowler.

Dambudzo Marechera is one of the most important figures in the cultural history of post-Colonial Africa. Born and educated in what was then Rhodesia, he became a JCR Scholar in New College in 1976. Someone of coruscating intelligence, a natural rule breaker and a brilliant writer, his time at Oxford was stormy and eventful. Shortly after leaving Oxford, he published his first book ‘The House of Hunger’, which won the Guardian Fiction prize. Marechera wrote: ‘I cannot see a thing without striking an attitude’. In 1987, he died in Harare, all too young, still defiantly refusing to accept any labels or attributions of belonging. 

Extract from New College JCR's collection, Testimony.

Nina Mae Fowler’s past commissions have included portraits of evolutionary biologist Professor Richard Dawkins and biographer Dame Hermione Lee, both for New College. Her works have been exhibited internationally, including frequent solo exhibitions in London, Paris and Leipzig, and are held in public collections including Oxford University and The National Portrait Gallery, London.

In 2019, Fowler was awarded a major commission for The National Portrait Gallery. Entitled Luminary Drawings, the series comprises nine portraits of leading British Film Directors - including Sam Mendes, Ken Loach, Nick Park and Sally Potter - which now form part of the museum’s permanent collection. 

Her most recent publication Ruined Finery (Cob Gallery 2020) catalogues Fowler's drawing and sculpture practice from 2015-2020 alongside contributions from writers Alissa Bennet, Olivia Cole and Dame Marina Warner.

Words by Professor Michael Burden