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

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.

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.

Wednesday Cartoon

Wednesday Cartoon

Notes from the gallery - Getting 'out there'

Things are quiet at the Henry Tayali gallery at the moment. Many artists have been in Livingstone for the last two weeks taking part in the workshop and will be returning soon full of ideas and motivation.

While the cats have been away, we mice have been not really playing but using the time to think about ways to push the gallery forward as well as the art scene here in general. Despite the plethora of artists working in Lusaka, the community is sometimes fragmentary as each group gets on with the business of working and trying to sell their work. As a result, it is often a challenge for the blog team to keep up to date with events that are going on. So our first aim is to try and bring together collaborative elements that will be willing to report back to 'Lusaka Art Scene' so we can share with you all what is going on.

Using the internet for communication between artists here is a learning curve too, especially since internet access is expensive and slow. We're persevering and hope other artists will too. In a country with no art school and limited access to resources, the internet is an invaluable tool for artists to develop contacts outside of Lusaka and to find out about what is happening in the art world internationally. In order to point artists in the right direction as well as providing a platform for artists and supporters alike to network, we started our Ning network. Unfortunately this was days before the announcement that Ning is beginning to charge for this service, we hope that May 4th's anouncement of new prices will not be a shock and that we can somehow find funds to keep it going. http://lusakaartscene.ning.com/

News Updates

AAW studios and Barefoot are collaborating on a project on art installations that will be seen all over Lusaka in outdoor spaces. The subject is 'The environment and climate change' and the workshop will culminate in a festival. More to come.

The Insaka workshop has started in Livingstone and is going well. We hope to get a report from the artists involved. the workshop will continue unil May 5th when there will be an open day.

The Henry Tayali Gallery is working on a proposal for funds that will be used for a merchandise workshop. Artists will be trained in screenprintng and lino printing and some principles of graphic design in order to sell their work at the gift shop that is also planned.

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.

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.

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.