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“Wild Dog” by Victor Nyakauru

Stephen Garan’anga Visual Art
For decades Gallery Delta Foundation for Art and the Humanities has been a formidable art space providing artists of various eras an exhibiting platform with consistence like no other. Quality and consistence have been at the pinnacle of their existence and their traditional “Annual Summer

Exhibition” has been a major companion cementing their par excellence and proving their mettle.

It has been the kind of a show that makes their audiences the world over itchy, craving to see what it is in it every year end. Artists have been known to create their exceptional without limits and proud themselves to be in it.

Yet again the premier show is on winding up the Gallery’s year of exhibitions but this time around had a somewhat stringent request of small works bearing lower prices, reflecting the economic hardships the nation is going through.

The quality of the work has not been compromised but the philosophy behind the idea is to lure some significant sales that will assist their continual existence.

The show is sponsored by the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust with its European partnerships to alleviate the Gallery’s financial distress.

Speaking at the official opening ceremony of exhibition the executive director of the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust Farai Mupfunya reflected on the essence of having such art spaces which nature our human spirit resourced for continued existence as we would become even poorer with discord in our spirit.

The Gallery’s recent past has been relying heavily on diplomatic mission sponsored shows as well as that of the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust as funds from commissions of ever dwindling sales have become inadequate for survival.

The 2015 edition of the “Summer Exhibition” has creative works of various media from seasoned and loyal artists who include Arthur Azevedo, Kate Raath, James Jali, Masimba Hwati, Cosmos Shiridzinomwa, Victor Nyakauru, Greg Show, Misheck Masamvu, Wallen Mapondera, Thakor Patel, Munyaradzi Mugorosa, Freddy Tauro, Marjorie Wallace, Anusa Salanje Webster Mubayirenyi, Option Nyahunzvi, Tafadzwa Gwetai, Virginia Chihota, Lovemore Kambudzi, Admire Kamudzengerere Johnson Zuze, Richard Witkani and Helen Lieros.

Hot property, Johnson Zuze’s unique wire work continue to fascinate many with co-owner of the Gallery and senior artist Helen Lieros describing it as the best at the moment.

He has a stubborn trotting wild horse with its head rising high in construction of various found objects dominated by tied black tyre rubbers making up the interior, en-caged by interwoven wires of various lengths and thickness.

The wires flow freely all over the mare and loosely on the manes and tail. Some areas are wound haphazardly for strength and others likes the hooves, parts of the stomach and a tail joint are glittering gold.

Indeed “Who Has Set The Wild Horse Loose” is a major attraction of the show. Veteran Arthur Azevedo has his traditional exquisite linear work in ink on “Stray dog” series of III, “Rearing Horse” and “Blue Donkey”.

The lines continue in his dry points of “Bull”, “Horse” and “Restless Horse” as well as in his welded steel sculptures of “Don Quixote”, “Horse & Rider” and “Spider on the Wall” to highlight some of his work.

Other works of the exhibition include “Mhofu”, “Madokero”, “Rider” and “Nyabira II” by James Jali, Masimba Hwati’s two part series of “Harare Thinking”, Lovemore Kambudzi has “Fish Market”, “Heads or Tails” and “Hove”, Admire Kamudzengerere is offering “Amsterdam Women”, “Women Biking In The Night”, “Woman” and “Seated Figure”, Tafadzwa Gwetai comes in with oils on paper in “The Decision Makers I”, “The Inverted Image” and “The Internet”, a flair of small string drawings in glass frames from Wallen Mapondera brightens the show with a four part series of “Balloon Boy”, “I Want This One”, “Long Rope”, “Pakutoda Plan” and “Sunday Vendor 1 to III”. Gorgeous landscapes in acrylics on paper by veteran Richard Witikani come in depicting “Chishawasha Hills”, “Domboshava” and “Mt Darwin”, an array of found objects change the tone of the media on the wall in four part series of “Worm Rush” and “Wild Dog” by Victor Nyakauru and Marjorie Wallace introduces porcelain in three part series of ‘Small Vase’, another three part series of “Small Platter 6 to 8”, “Platter 5” and “Small Wave Plate” to highlight some.

The exhibition at 110 Livingston Avenue, Greenwood Park in Harare will grace the New Year, 2016, before making way for another traditional show in “Young Artist Exhibition” at the summit of January.