On the occasion of the EXPO 2020 (now 2021/2022), AKKA Project presents MaDzimbahwe, a group exhibition curated by Raphael Chikukwa, director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe. The show features works created during the COVID-19 pandemic by Hloniphani Noah’ Dialo’ Dube, Doris Kamupira, Josiah Manzi, Isaac Choloka, Tusichile Kasito, Tamary Kudita, Prudence Chimutuwah, Danisile Ncube, Nothando Chiwanga and Admire Kamudzengerere.
In the curatorial statement, Chikukwa writes, “This exhibition comes at a time when the whole world continues to struggle amid COVID-19 lockdowns, with the vaccination drive continuing across the globe. MaDzimbahwe speaks to the embodiment of principles of creativity, social consciousness and critical engagement that have manifested in these trying times.” He also adds that MaDzimbahwe traverses “generations, gender and media to encapsulate Zimbabwe’s artistic offering at Expo Dubai 2020.”
MaDzimbahwe brings together diverse perspectives and themes such as contemporaneity, identity issues, the economic impact of the pandemic, invisibility and appropriation, Black personhood, everyday realities, and feminine experiences. The lives and society of the exhibiting artists inform much of their works, and it is difficult to shift away attention from their present realities and historical backgrounds as Africans. Each artist, coming from different backgrounds and generations, serves as an archivist of both public and private memories enabling the viewer to capture diverse realities and issues. Their works bring something different from Zimbabwe to Dubai and the Arab Region.
The exhibition is on view at AKKA Project, Dubai, until February 28, 2022.