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Wednesday, May 22nd
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‘Unevenness’ tackles on globalisation PDF Print E-mail
Saturday, 09 June 2012 16:57

By engaging artists who make a substantial amount of work that interrogate issues from both pre-colonial and post-colonial eras, the “Unevenness” exhibition, currently running at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe provides an insight into the power wars currently taking place all over the globe.

The exhibition further challenges the pre-conceived ideas about the minority cultures in African, Asian and Latin American cultures, versus the dominant cultures.
The audiences are also invited to examine responses to confrontations with a difference. This consideration keeps with an intelligent display of work which seeks to challenge widespread notions within society regarding social, economic, cultural, historical, racial and religious differences.

Ronald Berry Thomas’ “But It’s Mine”, a painting, which is oil on canvas, portrays a despondent unemployed young man who is pondering his bleak future while only a distance away an excavator gets to work on an open mine cast project.
Thomas brings out the point that while foreigners with their vast wealth and technology have access to African mining fields, they are in it for their own personal gains.

As the relationship between certain cultures and histories remains wary and uneven, the show is a platform for artists from all communities to show their different views on the topic.

Through this display, artists critically question the nature of the relationships constructed from the interaction of histories and religions across the world. They also aim to contribute to the current dialogue about globalisation and how widespread the attendant benefits for different people are.
The effects of globalisation on our identities, cultural lives and daily existence remains a bone of contention that continues to haunt all of our  yesterdays, today and tomorrow.

A Malian writer, Amadou Hampâté Bâ, said there should be a constant reminder about our differences when he said, “. . . it is not because a chameleon changes colours that it is a hypocrite, it is because nature hates uniformity”.
This exhibition also includes an intelligent display of video art, a form of art that is still new in the local art practice. Video art and installation is a contemporary art form that combines video technology with installation art.

In Mudi Yaya’s video Conrad’s “Circus Trilogy Chapter III”, Black Africans are portrayed in a caricature style. The cartoon installation strikingly portrays an unevenness of the African figure, with features such as dark skin, fat lips and possessing peculiar behavioural characteristics.
Since time immemorial, this representation of Africans has been a tool used to elevate the superiority and inferiority complex zone harder to further suppress the dignity of the black people.

Samba Fall’s video titled “Yesterday I Had a Dream” explains how the economies of the world have propelled capitalism, which has robbed the majority working class of their financial independence.

More so, the global economic crunch and personal greed have led to debt and poverty in many countries. 
The video also touches on a combination of several distinct environments of war-torn areas and globalisation of culture.
Some of the artists who have their work on display include, from Zimbabwe Saki Mafundikwa, Melania Chisango, Munyaradzi Mazarire, Gareth Nyandoro, Masimba Hwati, Irene

Karuva, Tafadzwa Gwetai, Israel Israel, Dominic Benhura, Stanford Derere, Norbert Shamuyarira, Arthur Fata, Voti Thebe, Portia Zvavahera, Semina Mpofu, Lin Berrie, Rudo Zijena and Taylor Nkomo, from South Africa, Themba Shibase, Mohau Modisakeng, Mitchelle Mathison and Breeze Yoko, from Senegal/Norway there is Samba Fall, Simon Leigh from the USA, Jelili Atiku from Nigeria, Bushra Junaid from Canada and Jason Parr from the UK, among others.
Through their work, these artistes critically question the nature of the relationships constructed from the interaction of histories across the world.

  • For feedback and comments, please contact me on shamieyiko@gmail.com
 

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