Maningue hope – Set the time with Zand

The Maningue Hope painting, which became a watch, combines the technique of free drawing and digital art

Walter Zandamela, or simply Walter ZAND, as he is known in the artistic world, is a son of the Xipamanine neighbourhood and holds art as part of his being. He graduated in Ceramics and Equipment Design, paints, plays percussion instruments, teaches art at several universities and uses art to make communities see further. And in the more than 20 years of his career, he has worked on several artistic projects, but he only experienced the world of fashion very recently.

At the suggestion of a friend, he decided to venture out and submit one of his paintings to a competition by the famous Swiss watch brand Swatch. And his work “Maningue Hope” (a lot of hope) was chosen by Swatch to represent Mozambican art, in a collection of watches stamped with canvases by artists from countries that participated in the Expo Dubai 2020.

If at the time he applied, Walter looked at the possibility of seeing one of his works printed on a Swatch watch as something unattainable; today, he feels privileged and thrilled to have achieved such a feat and opening a new chapter in his career.

The Maningue Hope painting, which became a watch and can create super fashionable looks, combines the technique of free drawing and digital art and is marked by warm colours present in the Mozambican landscape. As the name suggests, Maningue Hope is the representation of hope, not just for the artist, but for an entire nation — the hope of a long-year future without wars and natural disasters. “I wanted to play with two words: maningue, which means “a lot” in Mozambican slang and hope, in English.”

The first lines of Maningue Hope emerged during the beginning of the pandemic, when the artist took advantage of the isolation to work and put out his reflection on the possibility that one day humanity will be free again. Along with this work, others were created that will be able to be appreciated in a solo exhibition in the near future, we hope.

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Issue 73 May/Jun | Download.