Roots of Expression

Alliance Francaise will be hosting this sculpture exhibition opening tomorrow 18:00 hrs (CAT).

A full review will appear in The Art Pages next month

Kwathu Exhibition

Roots of Expression – New Exhibition

"THINGZ and TIMEZ" is the theme for an exhibition by Lusaka based Artists from the 'Roots of Expressions' -(ROXS), an affiliate to the Zambia National Visual Arts Council. This show runs through from 25^th to 29^th June at the Alliance Francaise in Lusaka, Zambia. It is a reflection of how their work has changed over time, taking experimentation as a guide when approaching nature for inspiration. Roots of Expressions has shown its creations at the National Museum, the Henry Tayali Gallery, the Alliance Francaise in 2008 and some of its works can be seen at Iseni House in the Dutch church in Kabulonga.

ROXS objectives are to collaborate with other art organizations locally and internationally with the aim of stimulating the Development of Art.

Contacts can be made by e-mailing studios.rootsofexpression@gmail.com or visit roots of expression on facebook.

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.

Artist Focus - Chilyapa Lwando

Chilyapa Lwando is a busy man these days. Not only does he work full time for the Henry Tayali gallery, he's an active photographer and painter. Currently he is working double time to get ready for his exhibition at Alliance Francaise next month. Lwando is prolific and has a large body of work from which draw his pieces. Consequently the exhibition will be something of a retrospect.

The themes of traditional culture and society figure most in his work, though Lwando has been focusing on traditional culture in particular. He feels it is important to preserve and promote Zambian culture as he fears it is being eroded. However his paintings are not merely to educate but to celebrate and reinforce his own sense of identity as well as a way of exploring and critiquing some of the traditional ways found in Zambia and Africa more broadly. For Lwando his art and cultural identity are very closely woven together.



Other aspects of Lwando's work address social issues such as HIV/Aids and the role of women. He draws inspiration from the everyday activities of children and women.


Lwando's paintings are vivid and he likes to use fibres or sand to give his paintings texture. If you are in the Lusaka area on March 19th, stop by Alliance Francaise to see Chilyapa Lwando's paintings 'in the flesh' so to speak, and experience their vibrancy first hand.

News Updates

Lusaka Art Scene Blog Well Recieved: Flyers for the new Lusaka Art Scene blog were given out at the recent exhibition for Black History Month at Lusaka National Arts Museum. As a result we have had great positive feedback.


Workshop for Busines Training for Artists: This week the Henry Tayali Gallery is hosting a workshop on entrepreneurship for artists, in the hope this will help them support themselves through what they create. More on this on the blog later this week.

Photography Exhibition Opens This Week: Zambian based photographer Fabrice Palacio will be showing his work from Tunisia at the Alliance Francaise in Lusaka, the exhibition opens on Friday 12th February at 6pm and will run for one week. Fabrice Palacio Site.

Art Bakery, Cameroon: Later this month, Zenzele Chulu will be travelling to take part in a workshop called 'Art Bakery'. This project was set up by Goddy Leye, the well known artist from Cameroon, in 2003. Goddy Leye Site .

New Exhibition for Danny Lwando: Lusaka based painter and photographer Danny Lwando has been given space at Alliance Francaise here in Lusaka to exhibit his paintings in March.

New Art Guide in Progress: Elizabeth Watkin and Zenzele Chulu are working together to produce a map of all artistic places of interest in Lusaka that will be published on this site. From this there is also a plan to expand it into a guide booklet for visitors to Lusaka and Zambia.

Black History Month Exhibition Opens

The opening of the Black History Month Exhibition at Lusaka National Museum was a huge success with even the esteemed Kenneth Kaunda attending.

More pictures and accounts of the exhibition are to follow, meanwhile here are a few snaps.

Upcoming Filler Exhibitons at Henry Tayali Gallery

Here is a brief run down of the themes for exhibition fillers until June 2010. Filler exhibitions are showcases of work from the Henry Tayal archive of works. They are not new pieces but are exhibited when there is a hiatus between more high profile exhibitions and still very much worth visiting. There are no firm dates as yet.
January - Market Scenes

February - Romance

March - Sanitations and Environment

April - Harvest Time

May - Harvest Time

June - Traditional Ceremonies and Rituals

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.

New Year News

After something of a hiatus, Lusaka Art Scene is back with news of upcoming events in the fair capital.

For January things are pretty quiet at the Henry Tayali Gallery with their exhibitions startin next month. That doesn't mean you shouldn't drop by and see paintings from the previous Insaka Artists' Exhibition and works by established artists.

The Alliance Francaise frequently has cultural events from music, cinema to the visual arts. On 22nd January there is a concert featuring 'African Pride', 'Jimmy Guitar and the Spirit of Africa Band' and 'Stephan Nsofwa'.

We at Lusaka Art Scene are working hard to publicise any art events going on in Lusaka, if you know of something please get in touch. At the bottom of the page is a list of other events coming in February. Happy New Year!