‘The Connection’ examines art, religion

The National Gallery of Zimbabwe put together an exhibition that has portrayed the relationship between the worlds of art, the spiritual concept of God and the path towards enlightenment in an exhibition entitled “The Connection”. The exhibition was curated by Lilian Chaonwa the Gallery’s collections manager.

“The Connection” is an exhibition which strives to catechise and to examine relationship between art and religion.

Art has always been a natural vehicle for expressing or connecting with the transcendent much that even the most celebrated artists worked on collective content of religious subjects which drew them fame that has lasted through the ages.

“The Connection” has an impact on the relationship between art and religion as a concern that the audience were simply drawn by the value that was presented to them, and focus on the antiquity and aesthetics of the artworks themselves, vis-a-vis scriptural reference, religious ideas or denominational sentiment.

The arts have expressed the divine, for example, in Christian liturgical services due to their strong emotional impact and ability to act immediately and directly upon our perception, prior to conceptual thinking as the arts can enhance any area of experience, including religious experience.

It is in this case that art has always been integral to religion, serving as a visual counterpart to religious stories. Sacred paintings, pictures and sculptures have been used in rituals in order to inspire and strengthen faith in places of worship or domestic settings.

The exhibition sought to engage the arguments between the two worlds and promote a greater understanding of how works of art were and are still used as a model of moral behaviour while also answering the question why artists are drawn to religious subject matter.

Works of art have been produced to illustrate, supplement and portray in a tangible form the principles of a particular subject or theme. Different media has used to express these ideas thereby engaging and inspiring viewers to consider and reflect on spiritual traditions.

“The Connection” runs until April 25.