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Stephen Garan’anga Visual Art

Zimbabwe’s visual art platforms and art business transactions have remained subdued for a while but that has not deterred most practitioners from creating.

Many have resorted to using what they can though at times compromising quality or inhibiting their ability to make their ideas come through.
Of late there have been limited positive movements in the sector that saw a number of art exhibitions being hosted at various private art spaces including high density suburbs especially in Harare, the resurgent of activities at Dzimbanhete Arts Interactions, the opening of Empire Gallery at Ascot shopping mall in Bulawayo, the open call submission of artworks announced by the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare for the reintroduction of an annual art exhibition.

For the first time since Operation Murambatsvina that saw a number of practitioners being displaced, the Mutare National Gallery confirmed an exhilarating improvement on artists’ participation in exhibitions. The National Gallery said the forgettable days where they used to struggle to fill a full calendar year of exhibitions and kneeling for artists’ participation were a thing of the past especial in year 2014.

The National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare had a couple impressive art shows at the beginning of the year which included “Woman at the Top” and  “Zimbabwe In Design” before terminating all activities for a while paving way for major renovations of the structure since its inauguration in 1957. They recently resumed activities with a high profile exhibition of the Zimbabwe Pavilion at the 55th Venice International Art Biennale.

During their closure they called for artists’ submission of artworks for a new look Zimbabwe Annual Exhibition scheduled for year-end perhaps similar the yesteryears’ prestigious Zimbabwe Annual Heritage exhibitions that had various awards and motivated practitioners to create the unthinkable to be part of it.

The National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo has had a much subdued period to date with some exhibitions running for far too long. Art sales too in the region as in other regions outside Harare have been almost non-existent. Gallery Delta Foundation for Art and the Humanities in Harare has been consistent with sponsored monthly shows with most of them having printed catalogues. They have had too a couple of art competitions and exhibitions that had awards that enlightened artistic spirits for many young and upcoming practitioners.

The third edition of the Wild Geese Art Festival took centre stage once again on June 1, 2014 at the Wild Geese Lodge in Harare. The festival is the only one in Zimbabwe entirely dedicated to ‘visual art’ and the promotion of its market. It continues to grow with the number of participating artists of race and creed from all pockets of the nation almost doubling every year. The event had an art competition with of small paintings and sculptures under the theme “Remind Me of Zimbabwe” that were displayed in their own gallery. Some amazing quick small painting demonstrations too took place and some sold as quickly as they finished. There were more art sales in this year’s edition than the previous ones.

Wild Geese Art Festival offers visual artists a free platform to showcase their work, converse directly with buyers and handling of their sales. When artists have conducted art business transactions they are kindly requested to remit 10% of their sales to the Wild Geese Charity. This is a unique pleasant scenario.

There were various small private art spaces which were invited to spot the talent they could tap. The crowd in attendance was also very different from that normally attend art exhibitions at galleries and that is a significant reassuring scenario.

The art festival was a welcome platform for many who had gone for ages without exposing their work to anyone other than their immediate families at home and those who had never participated in any art show since they took oath to the profession years ago. Signs of the depressed art market were evident as most of the sales were of small low priced pieces but the unravelled talent by artists at various levels was amazing.

July 2014 saw Dzimbanhete Arts Interactions (DAI) Trust having a relaunch ceremony and exhibition that marked the beginning of hyper visual art other cultural activities at the artists’ resource centre. That came as a short in the arm for practitioners who have endured lengthy periods of uninspiring artistic environment with very minimal movements.

The art space has had international artists’ workshops and residencies before and has on numerous occasions conducted national art workshops and exhibitions as well as organized mentorship workshops and outreach programmes as prescribed by their mission. Dzimbanhete Arts Interactions (D.A.I.) seeks to assist visual artists in acquiring a variety of skills and techniques in various media. They want artists to realise their creative abilities without encountering too many technical challenges and limitations, and to be able to cross over to the making of applied objects.

DAI’s vision is to become a leading show casing centre of contemporary African-Zimbabwean art and to be a formidable force in the production of high level art and applied crafts. This will include prototype inventions to be patented, ready for industrial mass-production and marketing, and to be a major catalyst for connecting people and ideas through art.

Along with various practical interactions, DAI intends to facilitate stimulating and informative workshops and talks, delivered by invited specialists. Other workshops will be designed to expose fine artists to high-craft industrial techniques.

They also will be facilitated by selected artists or professionals from the technical world [local or visiting] who have excelled in a particular technique. Harare’s Verandah Gallery in Emerald Hill conducted the 23rd edition of its annual charitable single day art exhibition coinciding with Emerald Hill Children’s Home’s centenary cerebrations with numerous artists at various levels on board. The worthy cause show see’s twenty five per cent of all its sales being forwarded to the Emerald Hill Children’s Home and Emerald Hill School for the Deaf. The exhibition dominated by small sized paintings on card and very few graphics had several practitioners who rarely or do not participate in mainstream art exhibitions with locally established galleries and a handful of the established ones.

Year 2014 had also launch of a new small art space called ‘Koo Vha’ – Creative Hub Gallery byelegant beer brewers ‘Koa Vha’ Craft Beer hidden at Newlands Shopping Centre. They launched with a debut solo exhibition by young creative and innovative emerging artist, Terence Musekiwa and followed up with other shows that included ‘Collectors’ Cocktail’ and ‘Disowning my Mutupo’ another debut professional solo exhibition by young and upcoming female artist Tandazani Dhlakama. First Floor Gallery in Harare’s city centre had a share of their shows but not vibrant as they used to be. More important they have been exposing Zimbabwe’s contemporary artworks to the outside world with trips and participation at festivals in Berlin, London and Johannesburg. They have travelled with some artists and their work to other countries before establishing crucial networks.

Gwanza Arts, a month of international art photography exhibitions at various places in the country founded and curated by one of the country’s internationally highly decorated photographer Calvin Dondo has for over a decade consistently conducted its annual exhibitions. A few local art festivals have incorporated visual arts in their programs, tertiary learning institutions and other schools have also continued to showcase artworks at various spaces.

A handful of individual artists have continued to seek opportunities beyond our borders and some have successfully secured networks especially in South Africa.
Unfortunately Njelele Art Station in Harare city centre that was quite vibrant in 2013 attracting huge crowds with their expressive and experimental exhibitions remained inactive at their gallery since the beginning of 2014.