Kingston graduate curates first Zimbabwe Pavillion at Venice Biennale
Four Zimbabwean artists have been selected to represent Zimbabwe at the first-ever National Pavilion of Zimbabwe at the Venice Biennale. The Biennale opens on 1 June and runs until the end of November. The exhibition will be commissioned by Doreen Sibanda, Director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, and curated by Raphael Chikukwa, Curator at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe and MA Curating Contemporary Design graduate. It features the work of four artists: Berry Bickle; Calvin Dondo; Misheck Masamvu and Tapfuma Gutsa and works will be presented in the mediums of painting, photography, video installation and sculpture.
The Venice Biennale is the world’s most prestigious international forum for contemporary art. Held every two years in the city of Venice, it draws an international audience of approximately 500,000, and showcases the latest developments in contemporary art from around the world.
Until now, the individual countries of Sub-Saharan Africa have been under represented at the Venice Biennale, with South Africa being the only country from the region to have ever had an individual stand. The National Gallery of Zimbabwe, working with Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture and the British Council, and supported by the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco, the Monaco Development Corporation and Zimbabwe Embassy in Rome, will present an exhibition at the Church of Santa Maria della Pietà, (Castello 3701 Calle della Pieta 30122 Venice). With Zimbabwe included as an official participant in the Venice Biennale, the exhibition will give a long overdue focus on the creativity of Africa’s sovereign nations.
“The Zimbabwe Pavilion at the Venice Biennale is pivotal in establishing a platform after the isolation of many years. The Zimbabwean pavilion will provide a rare opportunity to spark discussions about the role of artists in a society.
Zimbabwe has become a “Zone of Silence” with little access to the platforms of exchange through which it can communicate. It is in this view that a Zimbabwean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale will break the silence.”
Raphael Chikukwa, Curator -