adminBongani Ndlovu Showbiz Correspondent
VISUAL artist, Owen Maseko’s controversial exhibition — “Sibathontisele” — was finally removed from the National Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ) in Bulawayo yesterday after five years of legal hurdles over its opening to the public.
The exhibition, which comprised of three installations and 12 paintings depicting the civil unrest in the Matabeleland and Midlands regions in the 1980s, was deemed tribally-biased and was immediately banned under the Censorship and Entertainment Control Act.
In 2010, Maseko was arrested, 24 hours after his exhibition went on display at the gallery. He faced charges of undermining the authority of the President under the Public Order and Security Act.
In September of the same year, his trial was postponed pending consideration by the Supreme Court as to whether “criminalising creative arts infringed on the freedom of expression and freedom of conscience”, as guaranteed by the Constitution.
A magistrate in 2013 granted an application by Maseko to seek relief at the Supreme Court for the exhibition to go ahead as his art depicted events which had unquestionably happened.
But, Maseko and fellow artistes were yesterday spotted at the gallery removing the paintings and installations, taking them to his home.
The artiste said the gallery had communicated that he was supposed to remove his exhibition by yesterday to pave way for other artistes as his works had been clogging the gallery.
“I was called and told that I was supposed to remove the exhibition from the gallery by Wednesday. I hurriedly called my lawyers informing them of the development,” Maseko said.
He said he was grateful that they had allowed him to collect his works as he feared that they were going to be confiscated or destroyed.
“I’m glad that the exhibition was given back to me. I thought it was going to be confiscated or destroyed. That was my fear because this is a priceless work of art,” said the artiste.
Maseko said he would resume exhibiting the piece locally and internationally.
“Technically it was banned from being exhibited to the public at the gallery by the Censorship Board, but not anywhere else. So I’ll continue exhibiting it elsewhere in the country and internationally, before selling it off,” he said.
Maseko added that he now appreciates the country’s laws as they had affected him as an artiste.
“As a result of what happened to me, many artistes now know that they can be arrested for what they produce. They didn’t know that. I also found out who my real friends were after the incident as some no longer wanted to be associated with me, always looking suspiciously at me,” Maseko said.
Since 2010, the NGZ Bottom Gallery had been covered with a black cloth in order to bar the public from seeing Maseko’s exhibition. The NGZ had been greatly affected as they could not use the bottom gallery.
NGZ curator Clifford Zulu was said to be in a meeting when sought for comment.
Online Reporter