Online Reporter
Maria Chiguvari-Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub
ZIMBABWE, known for its vibrant arts and culture scene, is preparing to participate at the prestigious 61st International Art Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia 2026.
The country’s continued presence at the Venice Biennale is a testament to its thriving artistic community and the recognition it has garnered on the international stage.
The international art exhibition, known as “the Olympics of the art world”, will see the selected five, Felix Shumba, Eva Raath, Gideon Gomo, Franklyn Dzingai and Pardon Mapondera, present works under the theme “Second Nature”, a concept that invites introspection into identity, environment and the layers of cultural memory.
In an interview with Zimpapers, visual artist Raath admitted that her dream is finally coming true after years of her work being rejected from being presented on a global stage.
Raath’s works explore themes of identity and transformation, examining how personal and collective memories are shaped and reshaped over time.
“I have been working towards this for many years. I used to enter my work at every exhibition at the National Gallery and they used to reject me until I finally got it right.
“It’s just a pleasure and it’s an honour to have the opportunity to share my art with other people and its meaning. I’ve already started on my work for the exhibition in Venice. It’s very meaningful to mothers, to women, to humanity. There will be a lot of material, lots of hanging material, representing the women, children and all people,” she said.
Eva recently moved to printing on textiles to satisfy a hankering to work with larger formats more spontaneously.
The artist also feels that art should be useful. Her textiles can be used in the home to make clothes, tablecloths, or even bedspreads.
Dzingai, who is a medium printmaker, said he is all set for the challenge and meeting other renowned visual artists.
“It’s a wonderful pleasure to take part at the prestigious event. It’s a huge opportunity for me to take part and we meet other artists, creators and galleries. So for me, as an artist, I’m hoping to make Zimbabwe proud,” he said.
Dzingai utilises the reductive cardboard printing method to create vibrant prints that delve into themes of personal memory and social interactions, reflecting on how individual experiences contribute to collective consciousness.
His prints are typically vibrant in colour and ornate in design. He sources his images from books, magazines, newspapers and family photos.
He explores themes such as social interactions and personal memories, which are found in his prints. Franklyn is one of the few artists in Zimbabwe who focuses on printmaking and has perfected the cardboard printing method.
Over the years, alumni of the Zimbabwe Pavilion, such as Portia Zvavahera, Virginia Chihota, Misheck Masamvu and Gareth Nyandoro, have gained recognition through their participation in high-profile exhibitions around the world.
Mapondera’s works delve into themes of memory and identity, examining how personal and collective histories are transformed and reinterpreted over time.
His textile works fashioned from plastic bottles, straws and thread ruminate on the burgeoning ecological crisis that is set to displace swathes of people in the coming decades.
Gomo’s works explore the complexities of cultural identity and memory, examining how personal and collective histories are transformed and reinterpreted over time.
Gomo’s practice is centred around conveying the events and situations of daily life in Harare. His sculptures and assemblages reveal the hidden and ignored voices of society and are infused with ritual, fantasy, and dreamlike qualities.
Shumba is a multi-disciplinary artist whose practice encompasses drawing, painting, video, text and installation work.
His work attempts at de-constructing spaces (real or imagined) — which he describes as Fold Fields Space (FFS).
Meanwhile, Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Minister Anselem Nhamo Sanyatwe expressed the Government’s support for the artists and emphasised the importance of promoting Zimbabwean talent on a global platform like the Venice Biennale.
“The most significant element of the Pavilion of Zimbabwe, from its first instalment, which was entitled Seeing Ourselves in 2011, curated and founded by Raphael Chikukwa, down to the most recent and previous show entitled Undone, which was curated by Fadzai Muchemwa, is that as Zimbabweans we have taken authorship of our own stories.
“We do not have outsiders who do not know what it means to be Zimbabwean conveying our experiences. It is solely our responsibility to encapsulate what it means to be Zimbabwean and how Zimbabweans consequently see the world in which we exist,” said the minister.
