Five artists from First Floor Gallery in Harare have been invited to participate in this year’s edition of the Jo’burg Fringe.
The Jo’burg Fringe is an independent art fair that came into being in 2008 to co-show with the Jo’burg Art Fair that is held every year. This year, it will be held from September 5-9 in Braamfontein.
Artists invited to take part are Brian Banda, Wycliffe Mundopa, Zachariah Magasa, Terrence Musekiwa and Moffat Takadiwa.
Said Takadiwa: “The invitation to exhibit at the Jo’burg Fringe provides us with a chance to make a difference and change the way people see contemporary art in Zimbabwe. We are very excited to get this opportunity and also very confident that we can make an impact on the international scene.”
Of the artists, Magasa, won the 2010 National Arts Merit Awards (Nama) in the three-dimensional visual arts category while Wycliffe Mundopa was the Nama 2008 winner for an outstanding three-dimensional painting. Takadiwa, Musekiwa and Banda are experts in “found” objects.
This year’s participation of five artists from First Floor Galley, Harare marks an improvement in Zimbabwe’s representation at the Jo’burg Fringe, as the country sent only one representative Joseph Chifamba last year.
First Floor Gallery Harare was formed in 2010 to provide space for upcoming artists to experiment, innovate and exhibit without the pressure of fitting into market expectations.
