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.

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.

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.

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

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.