For three years, Bahamian-American artist Lavar Munroe traveled into the bushlands of Zimbabwe to attend a Shona cultural ceremony called Bira, where he observed the ritual of Kurova Guva. A year after the death of a community member, Shona people would gather around a purposefully unkempt grave – chanting, dancing, and drinking libations – to call back the spirit of the deceased. This act of conjuring has been on Munroe’s mind as he collaborates with the late John Beadle on art offerings for the upcoming Venice Biennale.
