The Art Pages – An Update

Work is going well, we already have two articles currently being edited as well as photos. So far contributors have been respectful of deadlines and been attending our meetings.

The key work right now is to look for funding for subsequent issues of the paper. We have managed to scrape together enough to publish our first issue but after that we need another source of funding. We are looking into some grants from embassies that have a keen interest in supporting the arts, but these grants can take some months to be approved. So we are have to be creative. We have a possible idea for raising some money but this idea is still in its early stages, stay tuned for more!

Despite these financial issues we are so heartened by the amount of support we are receiving from artists who feel this kind of newspaper is long overdue. For them and many others, we will continue the work.

We are also working on a website that will help promote The Art Pages, this is still very much under construction and we have to make allowances for our temperamental internet, but it is definitely getting there.

Kwathu Exhibition

Insaka Artists' Open Day

The Insaka Artists' workshop in Livingstone drew to a close last week with the artists who participating showing their work at the Henry Tayali Gallery. As evidenced by the work, the workshop was a clearly a great success.

Wednesday Cartoon

Wednesday Cartoon Day

We are pleased to be posting a cartoon by Nasalifya, one of Zambia's young and talented artists and writers. We hope to be showing at least one of his cartoons every Wednesday.

News and Events

Congratulations to Danny Chilyapa on a very successful exhibition at the Alliance Francaise.

We must thank British based non-profit Alive and Kicking for commissioning a sculpture for a fundraising auction back in the UK. Alive and Kicking make footballs locally in Zambia using local materials and manpower. Several artists have put forward bids and a decision on which will be auction is due in the next 3 weeks.

Welcome back to Zenzele Chulu who has been in Cameroon at the Art Bakery. Pictures and an account of his experience will be posted soon.

A piece of art has gone missing at the Henry Tayali Gallery, more on this will come on a separate posting.

The Lusaka National Museum is currently hosting an exhibition of paintings from the Lechwe Trust. The exhibition will continue until May and a review of the exhibition will be posted soon.

The Insaka Artists' residence program will be taking place from the 22nd April Livingstone and will end with an exhibition there on 6th May. The exhibition will then move to Lusaka. Our blogger Elizabeth Watkin will also attend part of the workshop to report and record.

Zenzele in Cameroon

Zenzele Chulu is currently in Cameroon as part of artist Goddy Leye's Art Bakery residency programme.

Below follows an update on his experiences...

Arts Collaboratory.

Cameroon and Zambia.

VISA FREE AFRICA

The meeting of Goddy Leye and Zenzele Chulu at the Art Bakery Open Studio in the night was a milestone of how important exchange programme works. The two discussed for the first time in almost three hours of information exchange , sharing information concerning their networks which they are pioneering, they shared at great length the skills of managing the networks, with different but similar experiences of artists development in the local setting.They shared the bitter experience of the VISA story, they analyzed it in socio – political and in artistic terms.

Zenzele missed the very important email which could have avoided the Douala International Airport stress. Before departure from Lusaka he had to go the bank, attend a women’s art exhibition planning meeting and handover key Insakartists responsibilities to Vincentio Phiri and Mulenga Chafilwa. Broadband internet had stopped working at Henry Tayali Visual Arts Centre, so it was followed that Zenzele could not even check his email all the way through to Addis Ababa and then to Douala, as the travel plan was based on the earlier email of getting VISA upon arrival at the Airport advised by Goddy, but not knowing that VISA application had changed. He had to go and get forms from Yaounde, the Cameroon capital city.

Knowing things wont be easy, Goddy quickly sent Zenzele email to explain the new complex procedure of getting a VISA, but it was too late because Zenzele was aleady in Cameroon as Goddy was half way to Yaounde to get VISA authorization letter from Ministry of Home Affairs offices. Zenzele arrived at Douala at midday , he spent over two hours wondering where Goddy was, he did not have his phone number on only if he could access his email account which had Goddy’s mobile phone and telephone details. By fate line of events, there was no internet even at Douala International Airport, “ the economical capital of Cameroon”. It was second day for Zenzele without access to internet because of traveling connecting flights from Zambia to Ethiopia and the Cameroon. The panic and concern grew wide and far beyond Douala and Yaounde. He tried to call Alessio at Triangle Arts and he was not available, he then called back to Zambia ask Mulenga Chafilwa and Vincentio Phiri to open his email account and get Goddy’s contact details and text them by mobile phone, Chafilwa managed to send Goddy’s cell number by texting.

It was then that Zenzele called Goddy whilst detained in the Commissioners office at Douala airport after two hours of struggling to get his cell number. Until that time he understood the reason why Goddy was not at the airport to welcome him, Justine Gaga came after an hour later, but could not succeed solving the issue, another two hours was spent trying to reason and negotiate the release of Zenzele from stress of being at airport. Permission was granted way into the dark side of the evening and finally Zenzele and Gaga were on Douala yellow taxi on the way to the village of Bonendale, leaving the passport in the commission office, though the air ticket transcript was given back to him. He made himself home with humble hospitality of Justine and Estella, with a meal of roasted fish from near by Wouri River and miondo a local cassava paste strips wrapped in banana leaves. Man has to endure the offerings of social encounters and survive for the next day.

Zenzele ‘s prime destination, Art Bakery, is a small but dynamic art centre, has grown with the community of Bonendale village from the very beginning and is seen as the community friendly art institution, bringing artists from inner city of Douala and beyond and enrich the village full of creative spirit hovering around. It has existed within the neighborhood for six years with its own inspirational history as a centre for community based art synergy, has stimulated the growing interest in this artistic humble retreat . The village has over ten artists settled in it , including the first contemporary artist to set up a studio near Art Bakery, Joel Mpah Dooh whom Zenzele Chulu met in Abuja, Nigeria in 2007 during the first ARESUVA Conference and Exhibition. Artists have the responsibility to develop the culture of Bonandale by restoring many abandoned houses and using the artistic advantage of transforming them into art studios, residency, library, and cosy garden harmonizing with the aggressive forest, the natural force is so strong that it can engulf an entire building with trees and grass, pushing the cemented floor out of their way.

Goody Leye a well known Cameroon video artist, who decided to claim the present day Art Bakery building from the embracing forest, he is the pioneer of the Art Bakery idea, It was a tough hard working effort to transform abandoned structures. These houses were built in colonial days by wealthy Africans who benefited from the riches brought in by Wouri River merchants, some by Portuguese stock, who created a fresh water stop over for their wide sea voyages, Germans, French and other sea adventurers made Bonendale a prosperous village hence its no ordinary village. Today, history can be seen through the tired looking old houses, most being brought back to life by artists. Art Bakery is one of the them. Bonendale will in future become one of the world’s best known renowned art centres, a foremost artists colony in the country. It has a rich historical heritage which blends well with artists ambition. One day, one out of every five people there will be an artist in Bonendale.



Compiled by

Zenzele Chulu

Chilyapa Lwando

1 Call for Residency Applications:
THE TULIPAMWE ARTS TRUST is a community empowerment project organized under the auspices of the VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS DEPARTMENT at the UNIVERSITY OF NAMIBIA Professional, self-reliant, dynamic artists who work in any traditional or new visual arts media are invited to apply for the Tulipamwe Residency in Namibia from 12 April – 12 May 2010. Tulipamwe’s residency program offers the artist-in-residence an opportunity to live and work in Windhoek , capital of Namibia for a period of 4 weeks, giving the visiting artist the opportunity to integrate in the local artistic community and to respond to the local situation in his/her work. Tulipamwe endeavors to facilitate cultural exchange and creative dialogue in support of the international Triangle artists’ network, to which it is affiliated. Therefore the artist is welcome (but not obliged) to collaborate with Namibian artists during the residency. Artists are also encouraged to respond to their individual experience of the Namibian cultural environment in their work. Designed as an opportunity to grow creatively and to expand cultural horizons, the residency does not offer any kind of financial remuneration. However, Tulipamwe will endeavor to cover self-catering accommodation and basic materials, plus a daily allowance for meals and local transport. Tulipamwe will also, depending on the route of travel, attempt to cover international travel costs. However, artists who are able to attract financial assistance for their travel to/from Namibia (or part of it) will enjoy priority. (Applications can be submitted to ArtMovesAfrica who may assist with traveling costs of African artists). The artist-in-residence will be invited to offer a visual presentation and/or practical demonstration of his/her work to Namibian artists, students and the general public, thereby contributing to general education. Digital or analog equipment will be available for this presentation. Towards the end of the residency, the artist-in-residence will be invited to hold an open studio day, while the residency will culminate in an exhibition in a Windhoek gallery. Application details: Only email applications will be considered. The following need to be submitted: * A brief Curriculum Vitae, detailing your nationality, country of residence, training, specialization, exhibition record and workshop experience. * A letter motivating your intent * A recent photo of yourself * 5 jpeg images of your recent artworks, not older than 2 years * Names and e-mail address of two referees. * NB: your email must not exceed 1MB, including attachments. If you cannot include everything in 1MB, please send more than one email.
Application deadline: 19 February 2010For further information
contact: Nicky nickyma@mweb.com.na or Hercules hviljoen@unam.na
Website: http://www.artshost.org/tulipamwe 2

2 Call for Community Workshop 1 applications
TULIPAMWE VISUAL ART COMMUNITY WORKSHOP IN NAMIBIA 2010 THE TULIPAMWE ARTS TRUST is a community empowerment project organized under the auspices of the VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS DEPARTMENT at the UNIVERSITY OF NAMIBIA Self-reliant, dynamic Namibian artists who work in any traditional or new visual arts media are invited to apply for the opportunity to offer a Tulipamwe Community Art workshop from 7 – 13 March 2010. Tulipamwe’s community outreach program offers the workshop artist an opportunity to work in a selected disadvantaged Namibian community for a period of 1 week, sharing knowledge and visual art techniques with local artists of that community. Tulipamwe supports the concept of artistic growth and learning through interaction, sharing of knowledge and skills, and active participation. Therefore the workshop artist will be encouraged to work closely with local community artists during the residency. The workshop artist is also encouraged to respond to the local environment in his/her choice of theme, material and technique. Apart from covering the workshop artist’s accommodation, meals, transport and basic workshop materials, Tulipamwe offers a daily honorarium (fee) to the workshop artist. Depending on the outcome, selected artworks created at the workshop may be exhibited in a Windhoek gallery. The workshop artist will also be invited to offer a visual presentation of his/her work to artists, students and the general public, following the workshop. Digital or analog equipment will be available for this presentation. Application details: Only email applications will be considered. The following need to be submitted: * A brief Curriculum Vitae, detailing your training, specialization, exhibition record and workshop experience. * A letter motivating your intent * A recent photo of yourself * 5 jpeg images of your recent artworks, not older than 2 years. * NB: your email must not exceed 1MB, including attachments. If you cannot include everything in 1MB, please send more than one email.Application deadline: 5 February 2010For further information contact: Nicky nickyma@mweb.com.na or Hercules hviljoen@unam.na Website: http://www.artshost.org/tulipamwe

The Essence of Art

The following is a mini-essay by Zenzele Chulu one of our contributors.

Art is applicable in everyday life, society needs art all the time without realizing it. We need road signs for direction to move from street to street, town to town, place to place. We have digital billboards or murals, street and road names, house numbers and city planning involves design of roads , landscaping, public parks ,office blocks, housing and industrial. It took artists and designers to create the cloths we wear, the houses we live in, the car or bus or bicycle we use, all manmade items are conceived through design. We want our houses to be decorated with crafts and other artistic elements, rooms such as kitchens or sitting rooms come in color scheme. In fashion we want designer gowns, slippers, suits, skirts, shoes, including the art of cosmetics, life is artistic. Talk about uniforms used in all fields of human activity. Consumer products are designed to attract its customers with colourful packages.

Furthermore Art for art’s sake, contemporary paintings , sculptures, prints , drawings can be classified in many ways. Art as representation allows us to keep a record of life, reminding us of past events, emotions, beliefs, good or bad. Art as a means of communication means institutions have used art and artists to depict much needed information on issues that affect society on a large scale, creating murals, banners with visual messages ranging from human rights, HIV/AIDS prevention, child abuse or gender violence or inequalities, advocacy, war, corruption, sanitation, deforestation, including millennium development goals. Art has a beneficial impact on general literacy skills. Educators, psychologists and pedagogical theorists all agree that art benefits young peoples sensitivity to the physical environment, cognitive development as well as social and emotional development.

The more artistic an item is, the more it costs. So you see the design element influence in our daily lives is inescapable and unavoidable. In sports we need ‘state of the art’ infrastructures like stadiums, sports halls, racing tracks, design of team jerseys. Art is here to stay, society can exist live without these elements, hence the role of art in development is overwhelming. Artists have designed the traditional artifacts used in high ceremonies, they have for time immemorial designed the regalia of authority, design of symbols of power, the crown and throne for chiefs, kings , queens, princesses and all royalty of bygone civilizations and artists still design today’s symbols of power. Art in Africa has always been central to the needs of the society , traditionally seen to represent the cultural totems of that particular community in ceremonies and rituals from ancient days to the present day. Art has been an important medium of preserving cultural values.

The role of art as a witness of life around each community is evident in its quest of documenting social life cycle from a variety of angles. Visiting an art gallery is must option for tourists to have an insight of each society and its ways of life by looking at contemporary art. For those who are left behind by advanced people who can read and write, visual literacy provides a third way of learning and expression, it has the impact to give voices to those who are kept silent by established educational methods and encourages self expression. In countries such as Zambia, it also encourages self employment in the face of high unemployment, as most artists are either self taught or trained but live on art, through production of various arts and crafts.

The value of art as a means for communicating across cultural boundaries and as a vehicle for interrogating issues related to identity, culture, human rights and conflict resolution and social transformation is a very important function art has to society and in this case the depiction of the theme for this year’s Womens cerebration; Equal Rights , Equal Opportunities – Progress For All.


Kenneth Zenzele Chulu

Coordinator
Insakartists Trust

Black History Month and the Tiyende Pamodzi Art Project

After some discussion the proposed Black History Month exhibition has been moved from the originally planned location of COMESA to the Lusaka National Museum. The exhibition will not only honour those key people of colour from history through the arena of the visual arts, but will also act as a launch pad for the new Tiyende Pamodzi Art Project.

This project is in conjunction with several art bodies - VAC, the Lechwe Trust, Insaka Artists and Twaya Art (located in the Intercontinental hotel). These bodies will be called upon to decide on an artists or groups of artists to exhibit for free in the Lusaka National Museum, the exhibit will change quarterly.
This will be an important springboard for artists to gain more coverage and the Lusaka National Museum has been very generous in offering this space. We will keep you posted on the exhibitions that will follow. 5th February is the start date of the Black History Month exhibition.

Artist Focus - Stary Mwaba

Stary Mwaba says it was being exposed to the work of Mark Rothko that revealed to him the possibilities in straying from a realistic form of painting to something more abstract. Indeed Mwaba’s paintings seem to be a marriage of realism with the a freer more abstract style, figures, rendered meticulously with intensely expressive faces are often found surrounded with more expressionist figures and backgrounds, representing a kind of internal dialogue or inner consciousness. Or perhaps it is the other way around; Mwaba’s subjects look pensive, deep in thought while the world around them fades into an abstract mesh of colour and form.
It is this technical and contextual duality in Mwaba’s paintings that make his work so intriguing and rewarding.

The catalyst for Mwaba’s talent came while he was a peer educator more than thirteen years ago. He found it easier to express what he wanted to say through illustrations and when facing extreme difficulties at home, painting became a useful escape and outlet for his feelings and thoughts. An artist friend eventually made him aware of the Visual Arts Council of Zambia, and Mwaba found himself surrounded by artists and art that have been crucial in his somewhat informal art education. At VAC and another art collective, Rockston, Mwaba learned that once the rules of art have been learned, they can be broken and boundaries pushed. Mwaba talks of the importance of learning the ‘language or art’ and that being an artist is more than being technically skilful with a brush or pencil.

Since his beginnings when he taught art in a private school and often slept in the local gallery, he has exhibited all over the world including: Gallery Momo in South Africa, The Watermill in New York City and a German expo in Hanover. In 2004 Mwaba won the Commonwealth Arts and Crafts award and consequently worked in Trinidad and Tobago along with artists Peter Doig and Chris Ofili.

Amongst his influences, Mwaba cites Klimt and Picasso and a Mozambique artist Malangatana. The fluid and graceful figures of Klimt can be seen in some his work giving his subjects of everyday people a powerful dignity. Being Zambian has been both a help and hindrance to Mwaba’s work. There is a distinct lack of role models for young artists in Zambia and very little opportunities within the education system to study art. Zambia’s art scene is still trying to find a secure platform and is little known internationally. It is also unfortunate that works of art by local artists do not get as much interest as they could from tourism and the ex-pat community. It seems that visitors prefer the more ‘typical’ souvenirs that comfortably represents the outsiders image of sub-Saharan Africa – African masks, for example or baskets, clay pots and wooden big game animals. They are also cheaper and easier to transport in your back pack. Despite this Mwaba’s work is without bitterness and refuses to adhere to African stereotypes, while portraying everyday life in Zambia with vision and originality. The everyday life and condition of people here Mwaba feels, has attuned his sense to the small moments that are full of meaning.

Focus on the Artist: Zenlele Chulu

Zenzele Chulu is art activist in many respects , began art as a baby, scribbling on sand while crawling , grew up in an artistic family and went to Evelyn Hone College to receive his Art Teachers Diploma , four years as Head of Art Section Kabulonga High School, joined VAC Documentation Project and currently is Coordinator of Insaka International Artists Workshop, formerly Mbile, where he is transforming it into a professional art institution. He has worked and demonstrated high capacity in organizing and mobilizing numerous artistic events and art projects as a curator, consultant, adjudicator, educator , facilitator with corporate, NGOs, government and international organizations to put up art exhibitions, workshops, training and project management.

His work has been exhibited from humble exhibitions to the highest level of international art in Africa, Asia and Europe with great artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Alberto Corda, Malangatana, Sokari Douglas Camp, Uche Okeke. He continues to make in roads in the contemporary Art world with a strong conviction of self confidence to present his philosophical thoughts expressed using a multi disciplinary approach. Despite a busy art administrative schedule he uses every opportunity to execute his art expressions called flamboyantism, Contra, Schematic Tantrums all styles have a deep inclination towards ancient African allegories freely working in his own pantheon, a self taught student of Pan African Studies and African Civilisations, he continues to research, explore and learn the art world, flexible and influential to work with almost anyone local and international art connections, he is equipped with a self motivated drive to express the way he wishes, the viewpoints he believes makes his art sensible as well as accessible. With the advent of conceptual art, Zenzele is more than excited to use its unlimited source of material application without losing touch with the ancient African inspired themes.

Insaka Artists Exhibition Part 2

Review: Insaka Artists Residency Exhibition - Part 1

The exhibition at the Henry Tayali gallery on Friday evening was an amalgamation of work from the Insaka residency programme and portraits done by local artists.
The portraits represented a breadth of subjects and acted as a kind of visual journey, demonstrating work from artists at various stages in their development both technically and conceptually. The Insaka residency programme had played host to three women artists – Mercy Moyo from Zimbabwe, Misozi Moyo from Zambia and Sable Weldemanuel from Ethiopia. Their residency lasted 5 weeks.
Misozi Moyo

Misozi Moyo's pieces revealed an interest in local culture – paintings of clay pots for example - but her talent became apparent when looking at her abstract pieces. Her ability to emulate the random texturing of pain of Pollack and marrying this with an innate understanding of colour and pattern was fascinating. Her abstract work on first glance seems chaotic but on closer inspection one could see a method or narrative in the paintings. With the careful juxtaposition of random form with repetition, she successfully marries order with chaos.

Mercy Moyo

It was easy to identify Mercy Moyo's paintings her visual voice is loud and proud in each of her detailed and fluid paintings. Whether working on huge sheets of transparent plastic or more conventional canvases, her style shines through with vibrancy and generosity. Her subjects are often people but she also excels in depicting urban landscapes. The proportions of her people are often reminiscent of Paula Rego and her stylistic sensibility is impressionistic, however her intuitive use of earth –tones places these works firmly in Africa.

Sable Weldamanuel
Sable Weldamanuel's use of local materials and ephemera we used boldly on large canvases. Labels and logos from Zambia seemed to speak of the artist as an outsider, discovering, in the superficial and throwaway an identity of a country. Her work showed an ambitiousness and her fearlessness in attempting new paths of creativity.

The Henry Tayali Gallery

Within the surreal village of the Showgrounds sits the Henry Tayali gallery. Lusaka is not a city visited by tourists, most travellers are either passing through to visit the more famous and breathtaking Victoria Falls, or South Luangwa national park. Those travellers that stay on Lusaka are usually here on business, or to attend a workshop. Therefore, to find such a place as the Henry Tayali gallery is a pleasant surprise and well worth searching out.

The gallery was formed in 1989 in what used to be an old tobacco shed. Funding for the gallery was originally through NORAD - Norwegian agency for development. Since then, funding has come from various embassies and international organisations.

The gallery was named after one of Zambia's most important artists - Henry Tayali who died in 1987. The gallery was officially opened in 1995 and has since hosted artists from all over the world as well as across Zambia.

Aside from regular exhibitions, the gallery is the backdrop to many an artists' workshop and supports both established and new artists that use a myriad of mediums.

Thoughts from the Gallery - Scratching the Surface

When I come to Henry Tayali, I am often asked a version of the same question - 'What do you paint?' The automatic assumption is that I must be an artist to be hanging around, let's disregard my intermittent sketching and fiction writing (which I have been assured by my very generous friends here makes me an artist) and say that I am interested in art. It is a reasonable question to ask, I have only come across one person who does not class herself as an artist, and she has assured me she is going to start painting.



The individuals that work here and also with the partner groups Insaka Artists and AAW are not special because they work without any pay and don't necessarily sell much (though this is impressive), but because they are without artifice or prentention and have so much acceptance for anyone who comes and expresses an interest and what they do. I spend so much time here, surrounded by art - sculpture and paintings are to be found in the offices, in storage spaces as well as in the gallery itself - because by scratching the surface, I have found a new aspect to Zambia that wasn't sure existed.

Face 2 Face: Next Exhibition at Henry Tayali Gallery

Friday 18th December, 18:00hrs - Sunday 20th December

This mini, tandem exhibition will showcase work from the Insaka Artists' Residency Workshop and a portrait exhibitiont.

The Insaka Artists' group works with artists all over the world with support from Gasworks gallery in London.