adminThe National Gallery of Zimbabwe in association with Salini Costruttori officially opened an exhibition entitled “Old and New: A Zimbabwean-Italian Tale” at the Pigorini Museum in Rome. The opening was attended by luminaries from the diplomatic corps such as the Angolan, Mozambican and ambassadors and art lovers from Italy and Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabwean Embassy played a pivotal role in realising this exhibition. The National Gallery of Zimbabwe is also grateful to Salini Costruttori for the support in initiating “Old and New” and would want more companies to support the visual arts.
The exhibition comes a little over a year after the National Gallery of Zimbabwe held a showcase of Kariba construction works with the likes of Taylor Nkomo, Waalko Dingemaans and Giovanni Novaresio put on display.
The exhibition generated immense interest in Italy, particularly in the dam construction paintings by Novaresio, an Italian artist.
To fully present the Zimbabwean artscape the show chose to approach the global public from a different angle which is to present the work from the Rhodesian Federation era, that is, Novaresio’s and Dingemaan’s detailing of the Kariba construction side by side the contemporary works of among others Nancy Mteki and Admire Kamudzengerere to present the current art trend being away from the Shona stone sculpture that was prevalent in the aforementioned era to mark diversion and progression into several different fields other than the sculpture.
“Old and New: A Zimbabwean-Italian Tale” plays a crucial role in Zimbabwe’s bilateral engagement with Italy. A cultural exchange atmosphere has developed between the two nations as more artistic interactions are being made. Overall, both nations will find an understanding of the other’s material and immaterial culture more coherent due to shared experiences in history, such as the construction of Kariba Dam. Salini Costrutorri, the contractor on the Kariba Dam project, has become a firm that commands confidence from the Zimbabwean public as it embarks on the construction of Tokwe Mukosi dam.
Present at the official opening in Rome last week, the Executive Director of the National gallery of Zimbabwe, Mrs Doreen Sibanda, said: “The Pigorini Museum offered exquisite facilities to showcase the important artistic documentation of the Kariba Dam. The inclusion of new works enabled us to reveal the contemporary art of Zimbabwe to an enthusiastic Italian public.”
Building upon the perceptual facet that was presented in Giovanni Novaresio and Waalko Dingemaans visions of Kariba construction is Admire Kamudzengerere’s works.
Kamudzengerere portrays his visions of Europe as an outsider gazing in on Western society whilst Davina Jogi’s photographs of septic tanks are microcosmic of what Novaresio and Dingemaans captured; a reservoir for what is the basis of life.
“Old and New: A Zimbabwean-Italian Tale” runs from October 15 to November 15, 2013 at the Pigorini Museum in Rome, Italy. The exhibition is curated by Raphael Chikukwa.
Online Reporter