THE Bulawayo Art Fair wants to shape the city’s contemporary art, highlighting its commitment to fostering artistic innovation, cross-cultural exchange and the empowerment of Zimbabwe’s creative and cultural industries.
This initiative has paved way for a Visual Arts Indaba, supported by Culture Fund Zimbabwe and funded by the European Union Delegation to Zimbabwe, set to take place at the National History Museum tomorrow under the theme The Role of Art Institutions in Shaping Bulawayo’s Contemporary Art.
In a statement, Visual Arts Indaba independent curator and convener Clifford Zulu said the one-day event would give special attention to contemporary artists and integration of modern artistic practices in Bulawayo.
“The one-day symposium will act as a forum for dialogue and collaboration, between the practitioners and the institutions focusing on the development, education, management and promotion of the visual arts,” Zulu said.
“This pivotal event will bring together 50 notable artists, curators and art professionals across Bulawayo and special attention will be given to contemporary artists and the integration of modern artistic practices in Bulawayo.”
The symposium will feature co-founder and director of Education and International Projects, Valerie Kabov and senior lecturer and executive dean of the School of Art and Design at the Chinhoyi University of Technology, Verity Muzenda.
The Visual Arts Indaba Bulawayo 2024 is a Centre for Contemporary Art Bulawayo initiative, which is a self-motivated visual arts curatorial project promoting the growth and visibility of contemporary art in the city by developing new ideas and new work, networking and building audiences to stimulate the visual arts scene.
Collaborating practitioners and institutions for development, education, management and promotion of the visual arts will include, City of Bulawayo Arts Culture and Heritage/ Mzilikazi Art and Craft Centre, Bulawayo Polytechnic School of Applied Art and Design, Visual Artists Association of Bulawayo and several independent spaces and studios.