Artist: Simon Back

Born in 1966 and brought up in Harare, Zimbabwe. Educated at St Johns Primary School, Peterhouse and ILSA college, was taught art under Helen Lieros. In 1985 went on to study Fine Art at the Cape Technikon in Cape Town, majoring in Printmaking.

Returned to Zimbabwe in 1988 and worked towards his first one man exhibition later that year. Worked continually through to 1991, focusing mainly on painting, but also touching ceramics, welding and printmaking, as well as teaching. In 1992 was invited to work in Zurich, Switzerland, towards an exhibition at the end of that year.

Apart from participation in group shows and work on a mural with Babette Fitzgerald, the following few years were not creatively intensive. In1996 was married and moved to Mauritius Island, working with CTMI, Church Team Ministries International and later had two little girls. The following few years were spent working in shop design. In 2000 found studio space and began work on a series of paintings. At the end of 2002 held a one man exhibition at McGrath Galleries in New York. The following few years worked part to full-time in the firm of Architects ‘No Coffee’ while continuing with painting.

2008 has seen the building of a studio and a return to teaching as well as painting on a more full-time basis.