Zimbabwe

_{Posted on Monday 20-8-2007}

afriCa/afriKa(H)

National Gallery of Zimbabwe

Jubilee Year Exhibition

December 2007

<sub>The year 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of The National Gallery in Harare. This modernist building was opened with an extraordinary exhibition that brought a collection of highly prized European art works for the first time to an audience in Southern Africa. To mark the 50th year of our existence, The National Gallery of Zimbabwe will mount an equally momentous show. The Jubilee Show, afriCa/afriKa[H], is designed in response to the opening show in 1957. This “new” gallery, in 1957, attracted donation of works from “our” European friends. The aim of the show, 50 years later is to invite works from OUR African friends.

In a climate where, globally, there is much debate about the authenticity, identity [socio-political], contemporaneity and dynamism of Africa/Afrika [h], we propose to weave the threads of these debates into an extraordinary exhibition. To state with authority what every one knows but few realize can be a transforming event. The show will embrace themes of contemporary Afrika[h] that aim beyond exoticisation and speak to a dynamic and outward vision, while still respecting the connections to heritage and innate cultural values. With Zimbabwe as its first frame of reference, we bring you the event, afriCa/afriKa[H], REAL[ized].

We would like to explore the idea of an internal dialogue. The show will run from December 2007 to February 2008 and will carry with it a vibrant and extensive series of workshops, seminars and events centered around themes of connections, networks and new cross-continental collaborations. These collaborations will be encouraged to explore the fusion of contemporary and cultural practices toward developing extraordinary and necessary works that begin to represent artists from the continent in new and dynamic ways for this continent and beyond.

This exhibition will be conceptualized and produced by a team of young Zimbabwean curators. Their collective experience spans a diverse range of artistic practice that includes painting and 2 dimensional works all the way through to contemporary installation, video and new media work. To this end we would like to invite submissions from artists from all corners of this continent to celebrate both our collective heritage and most importantly the individual style, significance and comment to this contemporary identity.</sub>

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