Weya artists’ exhibition on at the National Gallery

features unique colourful artworks in paintings, appliqué, embroidery, and sculpture to lift one’s spirit.
Several artists featured in the exhibition live and work at Weya Community Training Centre.
The weaving, appliqué, and embroidery is traditionally a female domestic activity, associated with a practical purpose rather than the gallery walls.
According to Rutendo Bako of the National Gallery, the works from Weya and the tradition of Weya art will survive as along as institutions like the gallery continue to create platforms for these women.
“Themes explored by the several artists include, HIV, village life, land, water shortage, hunting, agriculture, and transport problems in both urban and rural settings. Using old pieces of fabrics Weya artists create these rural and urban scenes in tight-knitted compositions.
“Visiting these artists in their home studio settings,  the curator was impressed with their use of textile in their art. Old pieces of fabrics are given a new lease of life in an artistic way by these artists,” Bako said.
The artists — Leticia Mukunyanyemba, Precious Rinomhota, Ceresencia Chibaya, Ednight Mugure, Joyce Sibanda, Maziweni Mapuranga, Albertina Nyamagorongga, Irene Mutanga, Lineet Mukwena, Gladys Chigayi, Gadiosa Nehanda, Faina Shonge, Irene Karuva, Tendai Dande and Rachel Feremba — use different media that include appliqué, sadza paintings and embroidery.
Their extraordinary works are showing in the East Gallery and they represent the vision of the Weya artists and reflect their way of life.
Irene Karuva and her furniture piece show how innovative these artists have become despite the limitation of art materials.
Karuva’s scenes of houses and gardens transcend the domestic way of life and explores our habitat and environment. Nature’s intricate structure and patterns have been an inspiration for most of the Weya artists.
Weya art has no preparatory drawings and this allows their patterns to develop spontaneously.
Most of the artists are self-taught and for a number of years they worked under the watchful eye of a German volunteer, Ilse Noy, who arrived at the Weya Community Training Centre in 1987.
Weya Community Training Centre is situated 170 km outside Harare in Chiendambuya, in Manicaland.
Using traditional techniques Weya women became known for their art and the movement has survived for many years.
The “Visiting and Revisiting Weya Art” exhibition seeks to create a platform for artists whose contribution needs to acknowledged.