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Nancy Mteki displays one of her pictures

Tawanda Marwizi Arts Correspondent
Freelance photographer Nancy Mteki will host a solo exhibition at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe on January 23. The photographer said all has been set for the exhibition and a number of honourable guests are expected to grace the event.“This is my first solo exhibition and am looking forward to an event that might take my career to another level,” said Mteki.

“I am happy to have this rare opportunity. My ability as a photographer to host such an event means upcoming photographers will have opportunities to participate in the next editions of the exhibition,” Mteki said.

Mteki began her career in 2007 as a sculptress drawing inspiration from her artistic background since her family members are engaged in sculpture.

In 2008, she ventured into photography after joining Iliso Labantu Photographers in Cape Town, South Africa, and held her first exhibition at the fourth edition of the Cape Town Month of Photography that same year.

Her first photo exhibition in Zimbabwe was in 2009 at Gwanza Month of Photography and she was awarded an Honorary Mention Certificate.

She also exhibited in the 2010 and 2011 editions of the same competition.

Last year, she took part at the Harare International Festival of the Arts.

Mteki said her works were “quite diverse and represent many aspects of everyday life”.

“Female artists must have passion to make their presence felt. They should exhibit talent and demonstrate that they can match or even surpass their male counterparts,” she said.

Mteki also participated in the last year’’s edition of Dark Art Biennale African visual arts in Senegal were she was awarded the Dak’’ Art Biennale Residency Prize offered by Deveron Arts.

Her photographic practice presented at Dak’’ Art 2012 ‘’consists of a series of images featuring an attractive young girl in an empty bus.
In addition to the aesthetic and compositional research, these images explore the notion of bus, or public transport, as a social environment marked by gendered power relations in which women remain objectified.