adminof contentions between the artist, writer and the public. An artist’s entire career and exhibition record can be made or destroyed by a writer or incompetent publicist.
In the 1980s and 1990s Zimbabwean artists, especially the sculptors were approached by some Eurocentric writers, Rhodesian promoters and gallerists to publish and write about their works in the hope of reaching or acquiring Western patronage and/or collectors, usually to the demise of the art and artists.
These early writings on Zimbabwean art and artists “Myth and Magic” Joy Khun; “Sculptors from the Hills of Tengenenge”, A Tredgold; “Zimbabwe Shona Sculpture” Prof Marion Arnold; Vivienne Prince “Unschooled Sculptors”; “Spirits in Stone” Anthony (Tony) Ponter, and various other titles on Zimbabwean art penned by Celia Winter-Irving, now constitute part of the distorted and erroneous history on Zimbabwean artists and their art.
What is worst is that our art schools and students are using these books for their studies, perpetuating the erroneous Eurocentric definitions of ourselves and our art – which is deplorable.
Today the discourse of indigenous and post-colonial art is permanently dislocated and under researched.
Secular popular journalese and half-baked Rhodesian academic analysis co-habit our history shelves and are a malechomy – open and available for the abuse and condescension of the African artist.
This imperialist thinking and subjugation of African thought and intelligence runs throughout our history and discourse.
It is therefore of paramount importance for Africans to re-write their history of art, its perception, cognition and reception of language and concept in a way that illuminates the various truths about our arts.
Unfortunately, we are perpetuating the same opportunistic, colonial mentality, misinformation and mis-education. Today some journalists, art editors, art curators and directors are the principal culprits perpetuating the notion of artists as being inferior, uneducated, social misfits, whose works rely principally on ungodly intervention and luck for media exposure and their livelihood.
It is important for artists to seek out professional writers who are proficient in the study of history, philosophy, cultural analysis, post-colonial anthropology, media studies in tandem with visual arts.
Even more important is the comprehensive study of the language in which the art is discussed and written on, which is currently extremely limited and counter-productive for the visual artists and the art.
Our Zimbabwean artists are partly to blame for the poor reception of their work, believing that any publicity is good publicity.
They have their own ignorance to blame for Zimbabwe’s poor reception of their work.
Zimbabwean artists choose your writers well and your careers will flow symbiotically! The old saying that an artist is as good as his or her publicist or writer is an old truism we need to examine and re-visit in Zimbabwe.
- Dr Tony Monda holds a PhD in Post-Modern Art Theory and a DBA Doctorate in Business Administration in Post-Colonial Art and Heritage Studies. He is also a practising artist, designer, art critic and corporate image consultant.
Online Reporter