adminMaria Chiguvari
AWARD-WINNING mixed-media artist, Victor Nyakauru, says it will be an honour to represent Zimbabwe at the 60th International Art Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia.
The exhibition will be held in Venice, Italy, next year.
It will run from April 20 to November 24.
In an interview with H-Metro, Nyakauru said:
“To go and represent Zimbabwe is a great historical achievement.
“This means I will be a cultural ambassador for Zimbabwe, so I need to work hard and do my best and fly our flag high.
“We need our art to talk and be heard on top of the contemporary world arts scene.”
Nyakauru says art mostly tells a story and what the audience wants to know must be reflected in the body of each work.
It is said that artists often provide a window into their spiritual energy and life force that is reflected in their artistic creations.
He uses his work to tell stories mostly about his community.
“I make this type of art because I want to express myself using traditional material culture in the context of contemporary visual language.
“My work represents and celebrates a cultural revolution with the use of our material culture.
“It is a reflection of my community, especially the rural areas where it is the source of expressions, ideas and materials.
“I am inspired by different objects, natural or man-made.”
He added: My work basically is mixed media. I use different materials in a work of art and require many joining skills.
“I use many different joining techniques, for example hand sewing, welding, gluing, riveting and so on.
“As a full-time artist, art is a way of expression, full of creative challenges, of which I really enjoy the creative process.”
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter