Zimbabwe

^{Posted on Thursday, 1 st November 2007}

Caring for each other

^{By Stephen Garan’anga.}

^{Chitungwiza Arts Centre is a place run by visual artist’s who have weathered the storm for a number of years. For a while the Centre has been conducting reputable exhibitions unaided as well as reaching out and into the local community in a unique and singular by gathering its people into its fold. “Caring for each other” is a two man show by the sons of the Centre that is currently showing at the hyper of activity centre. Today the exhibiting sculptors Rickson Murewa and Tago Tazvitya who have also kept the Centre on its feet say the place has given many artists a permanent address.” It is known that a permanent address is a component part and sharper of a person’s identity and persona and so the Centre continues to shape these things for a growing number of sculptors from the area.”}

^{Artists’ run spaces are recent breakaways from highly systemized support for visual artists, private galleries, public galleries, sponsored sculpture parks. In Zimbabwe where formal structures bend over backwards trying to support the growing number of artists for exhibitions, there have been artists run spaces for some time Tengenenge, Chitungwiza Arts Centre and now Domboramwari arts centre among them. The artist run show, a consequence of the artist run space is a welcome initiative indeed. But not all artists have the capacity and capability to organize their own shows in the manner of Tazvitya and Murehwa.} 
 

^{Tago Tazvitya and Rickson Murehwa over the years have been masters in time management, they have served on committees of the centre, they have eased relations between artists and clients, they have been mentors to younger artists. Yet they have done their own work, made their sculptures-fine examples of which we see in their show and this has lead them to organizing a remarkable show of their own. In working for this exhibition they have had to put work aside which otherwise might have sold, to look beyond the immediate to the long term -in other words to sacrifice. It is an example of artists who can put themselves in the shoes of another so to speak, and select their own work with fairness and objectivity, each respecting each other purpose and singular individuality as an artist. The curatorial processes have come naturally of these two artists they have  been fuelled and fostered  by their organization of group exhibition and competitions at the Centre, so have aspects of arts administration and management} 
 

^{It is indeed a welcome fine exhibition- a shining example to other artists of what artists can do for themselves. Some speaking of empowerment, others speak of a natural progression of an artist working with a community who wants to put across the individuality of his or her work in such a way that it will be noticed, yet not break ties with the community which has nurtured and supported them in doing so. Such is the case with Tago Tazvitya and Rickson Murehwa.}

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