Zimbabwe Pavilion at the Venice Biennale

ZIMBABWE PAVILION at the Venice Biennale

Project presented by: the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in 2011

Partners: Zimbabwe Ministry of Education, Sports, Arts and Culture and British Council

Sponsors: Nouveau Musée National de Monaco; Principality of Monaco – Office of International Cooperation; European Union Delegation (Zimbabwe) and Institut Français

- Back to the Projects Overview page -

// Context

This Pavilion represents the effort of one Sub-Saharan African country to have made their way onto a very privileged international Arts platform, the Venice Biennale. Many supported without hesitation this project, strongly believing that cultural initiatives not only transcend political matters but change and survive them. Cultural initiatives have the potential to leverage democratic changes and have a positive impact on society as a whole.

// Project objective

The exhibition ‘Seeing Ourselves’ featured the work of four artists: Berry Bickle, Calvin Dondo, Misheck Masamvu and Tapfuma Gutsa. Curator Raphael Chikukwa described the pavilion as pivotal in establishing a platform denied to artists within Zimbabwe.

Despite all the political struggles that Zimbabwe had to face in these last years, the British Council, with the good help of the Delegation of the European Commission, has been successful in raising funds from various partners.

The exhibition was attended by curators from venerable international institutions including the Hayward Gallery, the Smithsonian and Tate. Discussions are currently in place to tour the exhibition to venues in the UK and Europe.

- Back to the Projects Overview page -