Mwansa Chileshe
a copper smelting town in Zambia's Copperbelt
Growing up in the shadow of Zambia's Copperbelt smelters, Mwansa always felt at odds with the harsh environment. As a child, he obsessively collected bits of scrap and wildlife feathers near his family's home by the old railway bridge that he never dared to cross. His early sense of responsibility blossomed into a passion for safeguarding a forgotten pocket of forest, a task that requires constant vigilance against both natural degradation and human encroachment.
About
Obsession
The weight of envelopes, revealing secrets.
Voice
Metallic echo on warm earth.
Artistic Medium
Assemblage art from scrap and natural detritus
Technique
Layering found objects into narratives
Influences
The ever-present smelter smokestacks, childhood curiosity about unseen spaces, the tactile memory of feathers and metal.
Materials
Discarded copper wire, burnt wooden twigs, faded railway tickets
Scale
Tabletop dioramas, no larger than an open suitcase
Selected 0 times
Commissioned Works
"Faces In The Gloom"
August 25, 2026 · somber