Twenty-seven visual artists are expected to take part in the Visual Artists’ Association of Bulawayo (Vaab) silver jubilee exhibition that opens today at National Gallery in Bulawayo.
The gallery’s assistant curator, Clifford Zulu, told NewsDay they would be celebrating 25 years of existence through the exhibition entitled Neo-Pollution.
The exhibition challenges artists to identify new types of social, economic and environmental pollution in areas they live in. It also hopes to stir debate and find solutions to challenges facing the world.
The exhibition will be officially opened by Georges Lory, director of Alliance Française Johannesburg, South Africa. Lory is also a member of the Alliance Française in the Southern African region.
Zulu said Vaab pioneers such as Rashid Jogee, Voti Thebe, Israel Israel, Dumisani Ndlovu and Charles Msimanga would also contribute works towards the exhibition.
“The exhibition will run until the end of January next year,” he said. “Hivos Trust through the Outreach Programme will give an award to the best female artist for 2011 and the National Gallery will bestow a Young Artist of Promise Award during the exhibition.”
Zulu said the exhibition would also slightly focus on the first official opening of a Vaab exhibition in 1986 by the then gallery director, Cyril Rogers.
Zulu said the association had managed to navigate through many difficulties over the past 25 years and urged artists and art lovers to join in the celebrations.
