GLOBALLY-ACCLAIMED visual artist Batsirai Muskwe is in Botswana for a two-month residency at the Thapong Visual Arts Centre, where he is drawing and painting portraits which he will exhibit at the same venue on July 24.
In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style, Muskwe acknowledged that as per conditions of his invitation, he is supposed to mentor some of the Setswana artists Shona contemporary paint art during their residency at the Thapong Visual Arts Centre.
He said the Botswana visual arts landscape was rapidly moving towards matching global standards because it had a strong backing and sponsorship from the State and the National Arts Council of Botswana.
“I am in Botswana at the Thapong Visual Arts Centre where I am on an arts residency, which includes drawing, painting and sharing skills with established and up-and-coming artists. I will be carrying out a joint exhibition with a Setswana prolific painter Uhuru Kgope on July 24 at the Thapong Visual Arts Centre,” Muskwe said.
“There is a huge and growing appreciation of the Zimbabwean art here in Botswana and I wish to make a good representation of my Zimbabwean culture. I had a good time meeting several artists who took part in the President of Botswana Regional Arts Competitions.
“I was also impressed by the standard of creative works exhibited at the Thapong Visual Arts Centre. The Reserve Bank of Botswana funded women who are into tapestry weaving and we loved each moment of viewing their meticulous and highly authentic art.
“Art in Botswana is still a bit laid back compared to that from Zimbabwe and South Africa, respectively and has so far shown a lot of potential to become a household name.”
Muskwe’s career as a visual artist stretches over three decades and his creative prowess in fabric painting, mixed media and inspirational drawing has taken him to several places across the globe, where he carried out exhibitions and also took part in residencies.
- Zimcodd red flags wage erosion
- Village Rhapsody: Zimbabwe needs to reduce teen pregnancies
- Community trailblazers: Chipo Gozho: An inspiration to today’s women
- Sherwood Golf Club reopens for live shows
Keep Reading
He toured China, South Africa and the United States, among other international art powerhouses.
Muskwe has so far completed working and putting final touches on several images for showcasing on July 24 and one of them is titled Optimistic, which he said was a figure filled with hope and looking forward to a bright future.
Matters of the Heart is a piece portraying the love and bond between a mother and her child.
The two images show Muskwe’s desire to portray people’s emotions and aspirations as they work tirelessly and focused to brighten their future.
Muskwe believes that every artist should have a high level of patience and a sense of perfection in order to come up with good images.
“I would like to encourage artists to maintain the highest level of discipline and dedication in their work so that they create memorable artworks,” Muskwe emphasised.
