Pacers Gallery, recently, hosted its inaugural artists residency programme. Sponsored by Yawoa Foundation, the guest was Option Nyahunzvi Dzikamai from Zimbabwe. He was in the facility for an immersive cultural exchange experience from August to September 2022.
Titled, Facing the Nation, the two months experience gave Dzikamai opportunity to interrogate the concept‚ as well as, capture the complex scenarios he faces head-on: His travels and the quest to understand how other black people live or get by in life.
Among the multiple interpretations, which come up on hearing the phrase, ‘Face the Nation’‚ the artist says the call for political representatives to tackle problems faced by those who elected them, especially in the continent, is more germane.
With his art, he tackles the issue of why political leaders should be humane and not turn their backs on people, who gave them the mandate to represent them in government. “Why not just work towards giving the electorate a decent life? It is also an expression that captures the predicament of African migrants constantly on the move, both in the continent and in the diaspora, referencing the adjustments they make in the process of negotiating different environments and cultures, alluding to the syncretism involved in the face of incompatible religious doctrines and conflicting principles.”
A surprise component of the show is an installation of the property and clothing items the artist used during the residency in Lagos: The bed, table, kitchen utensils, studio table, chairs and clothes.
“These materials enabled me to accomplish my mission,” he said. “As such, exhibiting them is an act of acknowledging their energy, spirit, and soul. Most importantly, it is the recognition of the role they played in helping shape the work. They bore witness to the evolution of the works, from the incubation phase to completion. Incorporating them in the show is an affirmation of Nyahunzi, Shona spiritual beliefs, which are central to his practice.”
Speaking on the residency programme, Director and Founder of Pacers Gallery, Wunika Mukan, said: “It’s a wonderful opportunity for the artist, gallery and community to participate in this cultural exchange. It is especially refreshing to see genuine stakeholder commitment to the arts in Africa from an organisation like Yawoa Foundation.”
Mukan is grateful that the programme has provided opportunity for the gallery to assist in the resident artist’s effort to deepen his work process in Lagos.
She said the primary goal of such a cultural exchange is to provide opportunities for networking and expansion. “This includes, artist talks, open studios, and a solo exhibition following the residency,” she reveals.
Commenting on the residency programme, the Yawoa Foundation’s Founder and CEO, Estelle Dogbo, added, “this is a fantastic initiative that will further enable Galleries like Pacers and contemporary artists to amplify the already blooming sense of community that exists in the art space, while making pan-Africanism a cultural reality in the artists’ creative processes.”
