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Rumbidzai Mushonga and Valerie Mpundu 

Still, in the spirit of celebrating women as it is their month, the National Gallery of Zimbabwe successfully hosted a special exhibition last Friday dedicated to women in visual arts, revelling their achievements and challenges. 

The event, which ran under the theme, “Only What is Revealed Can Be Known,” saw some of the women in visual arts being celebrated, including Amanda Mushate, Eva Raath, Mavis Tauzeni, Chipo Mapondera and Sabina Mutsvati, Amanda Norton and Martina Gruber. 

The showcase focused on the works of women in visual arts highlighting their contributions and struggles in the art world. 

Speaking during the exhibition, one of the curators Barbara Gotore, said women who practice in the arts face the threat of sexual harassment, stigma, and discrimination, as the power dynamics in the workspace are still in the hands of their male counterparts. 

“Accompanying these privileged power dynamics is a stigma to work with women artists, this too is coupled with the looking down on the talents of women artists, which has a strong effect on their psychologies,” she said. 

“We have all read of the woman who was relegated to polishing her husband’s sculptures in art history, this is rooted in the underplaying of women’s skills and talents.” Gotore said women were often the subjects of artworks throughout every era, but their artistic legacy is largely unremarked by scholars of arts. 

“For this reason, we have decided to show a smaller group of artists so their work can be seen in its glory. The exhibition also acknowledges the progress made in recognising and valuing women’s contributions while acknowledging that there is still work to achieve full gender equality,” she said. Embassy of Ireland programme manager Dumisile Msimanga, who partnered with the exhibition, said people should acknowledge the persistent challenges that women face in the art world. 

“As we celebrate the achievements of these artists, we must also acknowledge persistent challenges many women face in the art world,” she said. “It is our responsibility to ensure women in arts are afforded equal opportunities, recognition, and support in their artistic pursuits.” Some of the celebrated women in visual arts present shared their experiences and feelings about how they are perceived in the visual arts world. Martina Gruber, a digital artist who combines traditional elements of Zimbabwean culture with high-end technology such as virtual reality, said that she felt very honoured to be part of the exhibition in the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, which she described it as “a huge privilege” and “an amazing art space”. 

“I feel that Zimbabwe is a place of tremendous talent, and Zimbabwean artists are showing amazing work within the country, in Zimbabwe, but also internationally, and they are outstanding on a global scale, and diversity of art is also huge,” she said. 

Another participant, Amanda Mushate, who explores the vulnerability of single mothers in society, expressed her heartfelt joy for the recognition that women are receiving. 

“I have managed to find my voice in a male-dominated field. I feel honoured to be a part of this day as a woman. Celebrating a woman is everything to me,” she said. “I was raised by a single mom, I grew up watching my mother take care of my brother and me. She fought so hard for me to be the woman I am today. It was not an easy road.” 

Eva Raath, a textile artist who used a tablecloth as her material, explained her piece, which she called “A Woman’s Lot”. “I like art to be useful and practical,” she explained. “You can sit down at the table and have a real conversation. My piece reflects the roles and responsibilities that women have in society, as well as the challenges and joys that they face.”