Gillian Rosselli (b. 1962) is a Zimbabwean artist whose painting practice — encompassing both figuration and abstraction — reflects on a range of contemporary questions and socio-political issues. Her latest body of work titled 'After the Rain' considers the profound, and life-giving importance of rain, and translates Rosselli’s elemental sensations and experiences during the first rains of the season in Zimbabwe into to vivid, impulse-lead compositions. Rosselli obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Michaelis School of Fine Arts in Cape Town in 1984 and has since developed her complex, distinctive language.
Rosselli’s work explores both personal and broader societal issues. In addition to her socio-political mission, she uses her unique visual language as a tool to connect her work to the global contemporary agenda and the key themes of identity, queerness, collective narratives and memories. Rosselli is strongly committed to seeing and spiritual connections, embedding meaning through the layering of acrylic paint, sensitive use of color, and ambiguous contours. Rosselli has had six solo exhibitions to date. Her work is included in public and private collections world-wide, including the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Royal Embassy of the Netherlands (Harare), Cottoc Zimbabwe, Anglo American and Mobil Oil.
In 2024 Rosselli represented Zimbabwe at the Venice Biennale. Other noteworthy exhibitions include ‘Five Bhobh - Painting At the End of an Era’ at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town in 2018. She has won many awards throughout her career, including the overall award of distinction for painting in Zimbabwe in 1995.