adminShowbiz Correspondent
AN exhibition on basket weaving has opened at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ) in Bulawayo with basket makers from all over the world showcasing their craft.NGZ curator Clifford Zulu said the exhibition looked at the physical uses of baskets and their cultural meaning.
“The curatorial concept developed during the preparation of this project looked at interrogating the basket as an object encapsulating notions of container and content, and looking at weaving both as a technical and conceptual process.
“It also extended to metaphorical interpretations such as weaving as a form of writing, the “thread” as a narrative, and intertwinement as a cross cultural encounter,” said Zulu.
The exhibition, that began last month and ends on March 21, features new commissions by artists Ifeoma Anyaeji (Nigeria), Alexandra Bircken (Germany), Tapfuma Gutsa (Zimbabwe), Delaine Le Bas (United Kingdom), Michel Paysant (France) as well as designers Matali Crasset (France) and Sebastian Herkner (Germany).
Zulu said the baskets show the diverse nature of Zimbabwe’s culture and weaving communities who are largely based in the rural areas.
“While each of the pieces embrace weaving as a common artistic language, they also bear the distinctive mark of each participant. Their works and those of the artists are presented alongside new pieces from the five weaving communities, Binga Craft Centre (Binga), Bulawayo Home Industries (Bulawayo), Lupane Women’s Centre (Lupane), Zienzele Foundation (Masvingo) and STEP Trust (Honde) in a bid to showcase Zimbabwe’s long lasting cultural heritage and the diversity of the country’s art of weaving,” he said.
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