Even Good Things Have Their Share of Controversies

Zimbabwe Mon 18-10-2010

Even Good Things Have Their Share of Controversies
Stephen Garan'anga | Africancolours.com

In 1986, as a young man I daily observed the Harris Comet light the dark heavens during its appearance tenure. A couple of years later, I watched the total solar eclipse when light of day was turned into total darkness only for a few minutes during midmorning.

Millions of locals and thousands had flocked into the country to witness the rare occurrence, and then a little later I witnessed the lunar eclipse - I was there during all occurrences and was part of the madding crowd of observers.

Horse by Unknown Artist

Live 'N' Direct, the audacious contemporary national group art exhibition that unleashed creativity and a huge discharge of energy that became loose in Harare for more than three months came and is gone. I was there; I was part of it.

The first edition of Live 'N' Direct was indeed an incredible show that many thought would not come to pass during its launch at the twilight of the year 2009, but it did. Then there were grave doubts on the part of the artists that any prizes would be awarded at all, when eventually they were, there were rumblings that wrong people got the prizes.

There were attacks on the gender insensitivity of the judging process where there was the absence of women adjudicators and non-female award winning artists. But it was not up to the National Art Gallery to drag women artists into the fray.

It is also questionable that an institution will be doing Zimbabwean art a favour by awarding merit strictly on gender basis. A considerable number of concerned stakeholders thought that a work should stand for itself in an open competition regardless of gender or a gendered competition should be setup!

Collaboration piece by S. Mpofu and G. Rosselli, 2010 | Photo: Stephen Garan'anga

In a land of unstable ground, high seas and shifting tides where opportunities are scarce, you don't let your inconsistencies overwhelm you; you become vigilant, you keep your ears to the ground. When a rare opportunity arises that you know you are one of too many for it, you lunge on it, grab it by the collar with vice grip hands and never let go. Numerous artists lost out on the Live 'N' Direct show, especially the renowned senior artists. Open group shows have become one-offs in years due to lack of sponsorship.

The population of remarkable artists has inflated and no one still runs around like a headless chicken seeking the whereabouts of yester year majors and humbly invites them for shows as was the nom. Contemporary Zimbabwean fine art is dynamic, one needs to keep abreast with various trends and exhibits to survive in the unforgiving harsh economic environment. You never know who is watching the show or when again there will be a high caliber event - It's a matter of being there and being a part of it.

Truly, Live 'N' Direct was a blazing show that had a vast pool of artists, both the known and the previously untapped. The work was diverse and captivating covering a wide choice of media including electronics, installation, sculpture, painting, mixed media and print making techniques.

The prize-winning works had an air of controversy about them but they offered new insights and ways of self-expression. There were other pieces on the show that could have easily won the prize, but at three this deliberately limited the number of prizes.

Do Patriots Walk Away by David Chinyama

The overall prize winning work was a quirky assemblage by master of junk, Gareth Nyandoro that at first glance read as a poor man's shopping window but on closer examination revealed subtle subversion and intellectual muscle.

The second prize went to a painter, Misheck Masamvu who is well-known for his stubborn artistic stance. His work is an emotional anti- painting statement criticizing the loss of morals daily witnessed in the ubiquitous 'Kombis' that now serve as public transport all over Zimbabwe that viscerally oozes out the artist's deep psyche. The crudely drawn nude figures are unforgiving of each other and do not spare the viewer as well.

The third prize went to sculptor, Chenjerai Mutasa who proffered a philosophical riddle that questions the workings of the human mind. The mind is a powerful tool that can change the human condition for better but lamentably it can also willfully create untold havoc and suffering for others. The three works were a possible cause for lengthy debate about wide ranging subjects that affect the human condition but they were not alone in the show.

Wyclyfe's taking on the soul-scarring existence of what is clearly Mbare's infamous Hostels took a brave heart to digest the painting that indecently exposed the hedonism that some sections of society exist in, not only in Mbare, but other spaces around Zimbabwe.

National Recylenziliation by Gareth Nyandoro - Overall Award Winner

National Recylesaliation by Gareth Nyandoro - Overall Award Winner

There was also an installation by a rising star; Virginia Chiota entitled PAKABUDEI that harshly alluded to the Government of National Unity. The plethora of symbolism inhabiting the assembled children's chairs was sublime, from nails to keys, red carpet and all. The only reprieve came from the mirrored map of Zimbabwe that alluded to party politics without the use of inflammatory slogans and paraphernalia.

Petronella Chekerwa also delivered a hammer of a work that depicted a pregnancy that decidedly went wrong in which all sorts of demons inhabited the hapless woman's belly. The choice of material here - metal, further reinforced the potency of work.

Another metal piece worth mentioning amongst others was the work of Danisile Ncube that alluded to the many Zimbabweans who took advantage of the economic struggles of the 2000s to siphon wealth out of the country. Three other works used innocence to cushion heavy messages.

Calvin Chimutuwah used children as his models in photo-realistic paintings giving them voice to comment on their attendant troubles that also happen to adults around them. Charles Bhebhe painted a crowd on a black background that dripped with the colour they are painted in to depict a "Nation In Waiting" as if they waited for the appearance of aliens. The painting was enigmatic and was ably complimented by Munyaradzi Mazarire's piece, Battle Against Commonsense. Economy of line and disarming use of perspective were deployed by the artist to question the gullibility of subjugated peoples to blindly acquire new ways of warship at the expense of their old ways.

The Bible, Koran and a humble snuffbox, situated in an ersatz black-taped room that hung from the wall, represented the religions. There are other pieces of merit worth mentioning but then, space does not allow.

The common denominator of the works was that most of them carried very reasonable price tags yet they were some of the memorable pieces of the show. The sole aim of most exhibitors was to showcase their work, interact with the public and, most important see their work appreciated and ultimately bought by art patrons. It goes without saying those sales are the only way that The National Gallery of Zimbabwe could raise revenue that will allow it to act efficiently on behalf of the artists.

Ten Ways To Remember by Tashinga Gondo

A large number of practicing artists are the product of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe Visual Art Studio (NGZVAS), formerly known as BAT Workshop that was set up with generous funding from the British American Tobacco Company. Therefore, it is logical that they should support the National Gallery in the production of future generations of artists who will challenge them toward greater heights and fertilize their art practices. These issues need immediate address if both, the artists and the national art flagship are to progress harmoniously in tandem.

The National Gallery, by policy does not display prices but uses a discreet numbering system that allows prospective buyers to assess works without the encumbrance of value since the value of art is hypothetical. Its value is in the eye of the beholder and in concurrence with the creator, the artist.

The artist cannot afford risking loss of revenue, hence economic viability by pricing himself or herself out of the competitive market. The consequences are immense in that they rob family, especially children of mundane things of life.

Overall, sculptors in the Live´n´Direct exhibition showed a tendency to overprice their work yet they were the biggest victims of the economic downturn. Not everybody is an Athur Fata, a Dominic Benhura, or an Agnes Nyanhongo. These prominent artists worked their way up the hard way through shear perseverance; thus they deserve the respect due to them. They earned it.

Untitled | Unknown Artist, 2010 | Photo: Stephen Garan'anga

Inflationary influence cannot be ignored, the simple fact is that the average Zimbabwean had become used to large numbers and therefore cannot resist applying the same approach to a strong currency like the American dollar or the Pound, for that matter. A rigorous rethink in terms of pricing is called for if artists are to move on and work their way up the ladder of success.

Institutions such as the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, with the help of user-friendly organizations like the National Arts Council and the Culture Fund, should organize workshops to rationalize pricing practices if they and their core business, the artists are to eke a prosperous future in the arts.

Posted By: Hirum Ndungu

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