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Doreen Sibanda

Yeukai Karengezeka Arts correspondent
The homecoming exquisite exhibition dubbed “Dudziro” is currently running at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.
This art which has been brought to Zimbabwe this year was first showcased in Italy last year at the 55th Venice Biennale exhibition and it will be travelling from Harare to Bulawayo and Mutare.

Some of the pieces on display include “Kuzviramba” by Portia Zvavahera , “Mistakes in the Right” by Virginia Chihota, “Dudziro” by Rashid Jogee and “Sunrise with Mermaid” by Voti Thebe among others.

Part of the artworks are installation pieces and others were done on canvas using different materials.

The Zimbabwe Pavilion ran from June to November 2013 under the theme “Dudziro: Interrogating the Visions of Religious Beliefs” with an assemblage of works by artists of different backgrounds who sought to address identity from each their own standpoint.

Throughout the tenure of that exhibition an international audience came to see faith and culture interspersed in a way only Zimbabweans are able to interpret.

The Zimbabwe Pavilion Commissioner, Doreen Sibanda and the curator, Raphael Chikukwa believe that the return of the religious phenomena in Zimbabwe is unique and its exploration brought an interesting contribution to the bigger exhibition.

The aim of the Zimbabwe Pavilion is to showcase to the world the depth and vibrancy of the visual art scene Zimbabweans are involved in as well as taking the opportunity to expose our country men and women who may not otherwise have the opportunity, to the international art market.

Virginia recently exhibited at the Lyon Biennale in France. She has also taken part in a number of exhibitions at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe curated by Raphael Chikukwa.

Voti Thebe is a painter, graphic artist, sculptor and a textilist and has won several awards before that include: President’s Award of Distinction a NAMA award for Outstanding Achievement in the Visual Arts (2003) and the National Gallery of Zimbabwe Award of Merit among others.

Rashid is a Zimbabwean acclaimed painter and sculptor who has participated in several local and international exhibitions.

Michele Mathison’s work interrogates the changing social and economic landscape in Zimbabwean society through creating sculpture that is composed of familiar objects that identify with the Zimbabwean experience.