Pixels of Ubuntu/ Unhu, Zimbabwe Pavilion, Venice Biennale 2015

Pixels of Ubuntu/ Unhu was opened in the Zimbabwe Pavilion at Venice and this year”s theme is to exploring the social and cultural identities of the 21st century continues the nature of the Zimbabwe, how elements of the past are linked to the now and how the artist is evolving especially in times when Ubuntu/ unhu is constantly being questioned.

Zimbabwe attempts to generate international exchanges between Africa and the world by reviving Pan Africanism. The country almost embarks on a foreign mission for Africa overall. Commissioned by Doreen Sibanda and curated by Raphael Chikukwa the exhibition is entitled “Pixels of Ubuntu/Unhu; exploring the social and cultural identities of the 21st century.” There is no official English translation for “Ubuntu”, a concept defining the self as united to an ontological other. “Pixels are there to enhance or to distort an image, and African societies have allowed the pixelating of Ubuntu/Unhu while embracing foreign cultures” Chikuwka explains.

Amid the calamities and teething problems that have plagued other African national presentations, Zimbabwe has emerged as a stalwart of African presence in Venice. Zimbabwe has delivered presentations that have earned it respect, as much for consistency as for the quality of the work. Returning to the same venue for the third time, the Zimbabwean Pavilion has created a breath of respite and, in a small way, a sense of home for the African artist community in Venice.

Like the years before, the pavilion venue was situated within an office building behind Santa Maria della Pieta on the Grand Canal. As with previous editions, the group presentation in the formal contemporary space makes the presentation feel more like a gallery exhibition than a pavilion in the blockbuster spectacle sense of the Giardini or the palazzo-based pavilions. Nonetheless, it manages to hold its own.

The exhibition placed emphasis on the importance of Ubuntu/ unhu in relation to the contemporary times that we live in. A brief talk on how elements of the past are linked to the now and how the artist is evolving especially in times when Ubuntu/ unhu is constantly being questioned. People were drawn to the exhibition with a natural curiosity about Africa and Zimbabwe in Particular.

The Exhibition consisted of three artists Masimba Hwati, Chikonzero Chazunguza and Gareth Nyandoro. The overall view from the visitors to the pavilion was how well all the three artists work fused. Though Individual in nature and execution, the works found a common ground on issues of interrogating consumerism in relation to the human condition and existence.

Most visitors were intrigued by Masimba Hwati”s “Urban Totems” series that dealt with the concept of social media and how they alter people”s perceptions in relation to their identity. “Urban totems” reviews technology from an African perspective and the international.

Gareth Nyandoro had amazing commentary and response from the visitors who were fascinated with his approach to the consumer through engaging the element of the street vendor and aspects of city culture and dynamics. His pieces such as the installation titled “mushikashika wevanhu”, “5 rand pakadoma” and “first street performer”. The pieces are massive in scale and very delicate when looked upon. The intricate detail he uses and coined to be “kucheka cheka technique”. His emphasis being on the human situation and how commerce impacts on human nature at an individualistic existentialist level.

Chikonzero chazunguza has a powerful body of work that are both prints and a video installation. Chazunguza has a series titled “Presence of the past” that engages the historical element of the African movement in relation to the colonial encounter and how the past is a critical to the current and the present day. He juxtaposes images of those that initiated the Zimbabwean quest to independance such as Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi and relates them to the Zimbabwean context in the contemporary Zimbabwe. “Gutsameso” is a video installation that consists of a diversity of supermarket products that are packed in shelves and are repeatedly flashed in a advertising manner. Visitors to the Zimbabwe pavilion related to this Installation with close reference to how commodities are integral to our existence and how industry imposes products on people. The element of abundance and the illusion of a good life.

While the global press is all too often blinded by stereotype and clichés of the Zimbabwean political past, in the world of art, Zimbabwe quietly, calmly and confidently charts a path of stability and self-determination, which is a paradigm for its future and a thoughtful contribution to “All The World”s Futures.”

Pixels of Ubuntu/ Unhu
Pixels of Ubuntu/ Unhu. Identity is deeply rooted in “Ubuntu/ Unhu” as the philosophies behind Ubuntu / Unhu are standard social guidelines that naturally guide human objectivity. Culture is an important component to connect people both locally regionally and internationally. It is a natural component for bringing people together to discussing ideas and exchange for the good of their community. This becomes a very important part of African identity. The existentialist and social impact the artist has on cultural identity is very crucial to global discourse. A sense of Ubuntu/ Unhu and this great possibility of watching the African continent emerge as part of a bigger dialogue. We are because you are, hence Ubuntu/Unhu philosophy is important to us all. by Tafadzwa Gwetai

The three artists will conceive a new complex of works, incorporating video, prints, drawings, objects, and sound for the six galleries of the Zimbabwe Pavilion.

Raphael Chikukwa Chief Curator
Raphael Chikukwa was born in Zimbabwe and worked mainly as an independent curator for many years before joining the National Gallery of Zimbabwe mid 2010 as its Chief Curator. He is the founding Zimbabwe Pavilion curator in 2010 – 2011 and curated the 1st and 2nd Zimbabwe Pavilion in 2011 and 2013 at the 54th and 55th Venice Biennale respectively. Chikukwa recently curated Basket Case II a travelling exhibition, with Christine Eyene. He has taken part in a number of Forums that include, ICI Curatorial Intensive in Addis Ababa 2014, Future Generation Art Prize Committee 2014 and Johannesburg Art Fair 2013 (SA). Chikukwa is also the founding coordinator of the 1st Zimbabwe curatorial workshop and forum and has also contributed to number of journals and catalogues that include, African Identities Journal, Savvy, and Art South Africa etc. He is a 2006 – 2007 Chevening Scholar and holds an MA Curating Contemporary Design from Kingston University London.

Tafadzwa Gwetai (assistant Curator) is a Zimbabwean visual artist, painter, sculptor and emerging curator who uses mediums such as oil paint, mixed medium and found objects. Gwetai has been actively involved in the arts since 2001. He has participated in various local as well as international exhibitions including, Between the Sheets Artists Books (Gallery East, Australia), and the exhibition, Colour Africa (Munich). He has also had four solo exhibitions to date, with the most recent being, “Con artist- The purpose of illusion” (2014) “Aesthetic Codes: When Science meets Art” (2012). He reintroduces and redefines mathematics with science and logic to create a new language. A language that challenges the very core of industry and its relevance to mankind. He views our existence as having been transformed into a virtual reality based paper work and documentation.

Tafadzwa Gwetai explores the human condition and how mankind has redefined themselves and their basic existence. Existentialist philosophy such as that of Rene Descartes and Plato who challenged the existence of man and founded the concept of “I think therefore I am”. This influenced his line of thought to that of challenging the purpose and meaning of mankind”s existence.

Masimba Hwati
Msimba Hwati”s ten piece series makes all our visitors appreciate who we are in this life. The way the symbols are instantly identifiable by children as young as two to three years old. These have truly become our urban totems. A totem being a symbol that identifies ones existence in relation to that which is in our surrounding or that of mythical quality. Masimba Hwati”s series “Urban totems” series has what has been described by some of the visitors as being “pop and yet at the same time being relevant to our digital era”The element of using denim as the material to print on has fascinated many visitors and artists. The idea of denim was raised by a visitor who spoke of how “this transcends into the realm of industrialism and how denim is so constantly been a part of it all but from behind the scenes because we wear it”. Denim has been a part of us for many years and is a fabric that is used in industry and fashion.

Shaping our identity. The totems in the portraits give the visitor and impression of being under a form of hypnosis. Controlled by the totem and guided to see. Guided to see the world in a Whats app way, twitter way, Google way and KFC way. Most visitors relate with the concept of Ubuntu/ Unhu as they observe how people no longer speak to each other verbally/ directly. A pleasing series to walk through as the portraits look back at you and remind you that you too are on whatsapp and Face Book and also drink coca cola. Our urban self.

Masimba Hwati is interested in the memory and energy of traditional objects and the space they occupy in the urban world. His work explores the transformation and evolvement of Indigenous knowledge systems.

The dialogue contained in his work questions the “thinking” behind today”s modern thought and explores the altruistic possibilities that exists in non-material cultures

Masimba Hwati. An insight into the work on exhibition at the 56th Venice Biennale 2015 Zimbabwe Pavilion. Pixels of Ubuntu/Unhu.Exploring the social and cultural identities of the 21st centuryMasimba Hwati has a series that is called “Urban Totems”. His series is the first eye catcher as you enter the Pavilion. His series has proven to be really connecting with the day to day technology and industry and how these are impacting on our perception of the world. “Urban Totems” has successfully connected with a larger range of visitors in terms of age. From young children who can instantly decipher symbols such as twitter, yahoo and Bart Simpson to adults who can interpret the aggressive impact of super business powers. A true test on the actual impact these symbols have on globally.

Hwati has an interesting element to his work and that is the buttons that are placed at the base of almost each of his “Urban Totems” series. These have caused great curiosity in the visitors. Some from an older generation can relate to the games they used to play with buttons. The aim was to throw a button and aim for the marked circle. If one aims well then they win all the thrown buttons. The idea being to contrast the innocence of children with the aggressive approach of the social and consumer media. A very strong ten piece series that immediately relates to a current state of existence. In the name of what we call “progress”, and “development” our Ubuntu/ Unhu is being challenged.

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Masimba says, “I”m looking at how these systems co-exist with current paradigms .The idea of “Harmonic incongruence” and juxtaposition of esoteric cultural elements with Modern mainstream symbolism is an underpinning factor in this thought process.

His Urban totems series questions whether technology”s pixilating of our Ubuntu/Unhu has enhanced or distorted our humanity.

Gareth Nyandoro
When works or art are created they take on new meanings that keep the concept growing.Gareth Nyandoro has brought people into the streets of Harare. The idea of experiencing sound that is not imposing because you know the source. The installation has a continuous recording that repeats itself and it will be the sounds of a street seller calling out “dollar for two”. The sound is mixed with urban city sounds that are found in market areas.

Gareth Nyandoro has always taken it to the street with his topics. It reminds me of his work “lollipop stars”. A very close look at the street culture and the survival of the urban man. The work claims its own space in the same manner that the temporary selling points are set up.

An individual can claim an area or space in the “concrete jungle” despite the fact that they are never permanent. A constant existence where the police or the council are constantly chasing you from the urban inner city public spaces. A transient existence where one is constantly on the move.

“First Street performer” is an art work that has made visitors pay attention to craftsmanship and the subject. The detail that first draws the visitor into the work is the incredible and highly technical skill. The paper is cut in to thin strips and re arranges them. Constructs, deconstructs and then reconstructs. First street performer has visitors connecting with their own first streets where they come from and if it would work to have a performer in their first street. The core idea being how people are caught up in an Urban cycle trying to survive and to get noticed and appreciated.The installation stands alone in its own room. As if to claim its space in Venice and say “this is where I am setting up my shop / “Mushikashika wavanhu”.

Gareth Nyandoro combines images of vendors with found materials which he processes by employing idiosyncratic variations on traditional craft techniques. He attempts to simulate the market environment by combining two-dimensional collages with three-dimensional objects. The fragile, ephemeral quality of his work references the temporary nature of the marketplace. Gareth”s installations bring the two – dimensional and three – dimensional components together through drawing, props, and objects to create works reflecting his research in relation to space, narrative, or storytelling, and materials as they are altered and transferred.

Gareth Nyandoro. An insight into the work on exhibition at the 56th Venice Biennale 2015 Zimbabwe Pavilion. Pixels of Ubuntu/Unhu.Exploring the social and cultural identities of the 21st centuryThe detail and meticulous technique put into the work by Nyandoro captivated many visitors attention. From a distance the viewer sees a huge painting that has outlines and forms of people can be seen.

All four of his pieces “Ihohoho namadzibaba Ishmairi”, “First street performer”, “5 rand pa Kadoma pamushika shika” and Zvikwedengu nezvinamira. The element of street culture is deduced by the visitor regardless of the Shona titling. His work has been described as powerful yet at the same time possessing a delicate nature. The idea of the transient nature of the life on the streets as a “street performer” engages the viewer to relate to a life of urban existence.Nyandoro”s market market installation, “Pamushika shika wavanhu”, is a further exploration of his street culture that he portrays. A street culture that engages our existence in relation to circumstance defined by commerce. How the product being for sale defines the sellers existence and how the product defines that of the buyer.

He weaves with paper. Nyandoro produces prints not by using an engraved copper plate, but by cutting directly into the paper, sponging ink onto it and finally removing the top layer of paper with tape so the ink is only left behind in the cuts. A technique he calls “KUCHEKACHEKA”.

Chikonzero Chazunguza
The idea of what seems to be or what appears to be is creatively interwoven into the meaning of the “Past and Presence” series by Chikonzero Chazunguza. Visitors from all corners of the world share a similar concern with Chikonzero Chazunguza. The element of the diaspora is engaged as they have a history that is so unrelated to that of Africa. There are those that have family lineages that existed for many generations in the diaspora and in essence their ancestors are buried there.Some visitors from America posed a question that made me think and view Chazunguza” s series with fresh perspective.

The idea of an uncertain past that either African Americans or those from Brazil and people from many other indigenous ethnic origins feel. They feel as if a past that is not concrete and a past that was created for them through colonial conquest makes them uncertain of the future. The element of the “Past and the present”. In most cases the past is not is not in the present as some opt to ignore a past and focus on a future that would be stemming from the “Present”.Chazunguza is firm and clear about his stance about engaging elements of history and tradition. An approach that he has been consistent throughout his creative life. In a world with constant social changes and spiritual search.

Chikonzero (Chiko) Chazunguza is a visual artist and provocateur, whose multidisciplinary artworks raise searching questions about the postcolonial condition and about the unstable role and nature of art in its postcolonial context. Amongst his most compelling works are those that reinstate for the viewer, a sense of ritual order and of life”s deeper mysteries, alongside proffering incisive, yet subtle social and political analysis. Chiko deliberately sets out to re-connect with local modes of fabrication and visuality, exploring their areas of aesthetic overlap with Western traditions to produce new visual forms and new kinds of visual experiences.

When works or art are created they take on new meanings that keep the concept growing.Chikonzero Chazunguza has really stuck deep at the heart of most visitors who have experienced a past that was socially and colonially challenging. The past and presence series appeals to people who have countries that have dying indigenous languages. A young man form Ireland could relate to the element of a past that is not necessarily “present”. Ireland and many other countries such as Visitors from Brasil and Australia relate passionately about the subject. The loss of language is the first step to losing ones identity and thus assuming a new identity that only has reference to the now.

“Chimanjemanje” is a piece by Chazunguza that took the level of what we know as print being ink to paper. “Chimanjemanje” has caught the eye of the curious visitor who zooms in closer to assess the work that there is actually weaving in the print. The print consists of paper interwoven with cans of refleshment drinks and their labels and bar codes being revealed but strategically like basketry. The Idea of “Chimanjemanje” which translates to meaning the “the modern”. Most of the 122cm 181cm art work is woven into miniature squares. Above each square is the impression of a head thus each square representing the bust portrait of a person. Gradually you see a network of people in this creation that initially looked like weaving of soft drink brands. “Pixels? No ?” A visitor asks me as he pointed at the creation by Chazunguza. Like pixels, which is the small individual component of an image.”Chimanjemanje” speaks to the new identity that we are now changing into and it is driven by commercial brands. “Chimanjemanje”, the modern people. Being diverted by a quality of life that is fashionable and ignoring ones roots/ origins.

In his paintings, prints as well as in his installations he is known for experimenting with a variety of materials, including objects of everyday African life, challenging issues of subtle colonial conditions in Africa on land distribution, food insecurity, degradation of indigenous spirituality, traditional order and rituals.

Venice Biennale 2015
The 2015 Art Biennale closes a sort of trilogy that began with the exhibition curated by Bice Curiger in 2011, Illuminations, and continued with the Encyclopedic Palace of Massimiliano Gioni (2013). With All The World’s Futures, La Biennale continues its research on useful references for making aesthetic judgments on contemporary art, a “critical” issue after the end of the avant-garde and “non-art” art.

Through the exhibition curated by Okwui Enwezor, La Biennale returns to observe the relationship between art and the development of human, social and political reality, in the pressing of external forces and phenomena: the ways in which, that is, the tensions of the external world solicit the sensitivities, the vital and expressive energies of the artists, their desires, the motions of the soul (their inner song).

La Biennale di Venezia was founded in 1895. Paolo Baratta has been its President since 2008, and before that from 1998 to 2001. La Biennale, who stands at the forefront of research and promotion of new contemporary art trends, organizes exhibitions, festivals and researches in all its specific sectors: Arts (1895), Architecture (1980), Cinema (1932), Dance (1999), Music (1930), and Theatre (1934). Its activities are documented at the Historical Archives of Contemporary Arts (ASAC) that recently has been completely renovated.

The relationship with the local community has been strengthened through Educational activities and guided visits, with the participation of a growing number of schools from the Veneto region and beyond. This spreads the creativity on the new generation (3,000 teachers and 30,000 pupils involved in 2014). These activities have been supported by the Venice Chamber of Commerce. A cooperation with Universities and research institutes making special tours and stays at the exhibitions has also been establihed. In the three years from 2012-2014, 227 universities (79 Italian and 148 international) have joined the Biennale Sessions project.

In all sectors there have been more research and production opportunities addressed to the younger generation of artists, directly in contact with renowned teachers; this has become more systematic and continuous through the international project Biennale College, now running in the Dance, Theatre, Music, and Cinema sections.

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