eBusiness Weekly
At least 28 Zimbabwean artists are set to exhibit at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa on the V & A Waterfront, in Cape Town, South Africa.
The exhibition is expected to start on the 13th of September this year.
Among the exhibiting artists are, notably Admire Kamudzengere; Berry Bickle, Cosmas Shiridzinomwa, Gareth Nyandoro, Gillian Roselli, Richard Mudariki, Thakor Patel, Greg Shaw and Wallen Mapondera.
The exhibiting artists were selected from advertent social commentary and dexterity in the discipline of Painting. After a protracted period wherein Painting had been concentered on the trivial experience of being Zimbabwean while phrenic handling of political themes was largely sublime.
The exhibition is entitled Five Bhobh- Painting at the End of an Era, curated by Tandazani Dhlakama, with an angle of detailing the resourcefulness of Zimbabwe’s painters. The title is derived from the appropriated “Five Bob”, that is the former British Shilling, now equated to “Five Pence” in modern currency.
The common usage of the term “five bhobh” applies to the most trivial pursuit in most Zimbabwean lives, that is the solicitation of public transportation, more specifically, Commuter Omnibuses.
According to the show’s Curator, “In various ways they mark the end of an era, offering foresight into an alternative dispensation. Here the kombi is like the nation of Zimbabwe; the artists its passengers, who engage in social commentary through calculated gesture.” She said. “Painting has a long history in Zimbabwe. In its broadest sense, it can be defined as the application of pigment on a surface or the manipulation of materials that are traditionally associated with painting.”
The question on why such a vast presentation of Art from Zimbabwe is being staged in South Africa would be outright discernible. The Zeitz MOCAA is a museum that focuses on collecting, researching, preserving and exhibiting work from all over the continent; of note, work by living and practicing artists. The exhibition of Zimbabwe’s artists thus fits in with that museums mandate and Five Bhobh- Art at the End of an Era is a nominal initiative to aim the crosshairs at Zimbabwe’s rich art scene.
The motive behind the exhibition was stated as a provision of a synopsis of the Painting medium as it applies to Zimbabwe today as it challenges traditional ideas around how painting is defined. In some cases, the painting is stripped to its most basic form, exposing threadbare canvas.
At other times, paint is mixed into substances such as silicone, synthetic hair, and wood. For decades, artists from Zimbabwe have manipulated this medium as a way of subtly articulating complex issues, speaking in intricate, allegorical codes. Thus the overall adaption of the technique by Zimbabwean artists will be zoned in at this exhibition.
“Present-day painting comes at a heightened socio-political moment. Recent events in Zimbabwe have left many asking, “Where are we going? What comes next? How do we get there?”
Dhlakama said, “For some, the journey may not be a comfortable one. It may require coming back, picking up where one left off or unravelling forgotten layers of the past. Using various tones and gestures, the artists in this exhibition highlight the pressing questions emanating from a moment of great angst. They interrogate present-day circumstances, re-imagine manifold futures, and recount entangled histories” said Dhlakama.
Five Bhobh — Painting at the End of an Era runs in the Temporary Exhibitions Gallery of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town until March 31, 2019.
