The Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, the Honourable Dr. Kirsty Coventry, has announced the participation of Zimbabwe at the 60th International Art Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia. This will be Zimbabwe’s seventh consecutive staging of the show, a successful streak for an African country at this world-renowned platform.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Kombo Chapfika, Moffat Takadiwa, Sekai Machache, Troy Makaza, and Victor Nyakauru.
Honourable Dr. Coventry unveiled the artists exhibiting at the 60the La Biennale di Venezia under the Pavilion of Zimbabwe in 2024. The artists are Gillian Rosselli, Sekai Machache, Victor Nyakauru, Moffat Takadiwa, Kombo Chapfika and Troy Makaza. These six artists will exhibit in Venice Italy as from the 20th of April 2024 up until 24 November 2024. “As Government, we have seen many careers flourish from this platform” Dr. Coventry said; “In line with NDS1, this platform has been critical in the Image Building and persuasion of international cooperation and it offers new engagement in the Cultural sphere.” Furthermore, it is in the Government interest to promote artists not only in Zimbabwe but at a Global stage like the Venice Biennale.
The 2024 Pavilion of Zimbabwe Commissioner will be the Executive Director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe Raphael Chikukwa and the exhibition will be Curated by Fadzai Veronica Muchemwa. The Pavilion of Zimbabwe since its inauguration has seen some of its alumni such as Portia Zvavahera, Virginia Chihota, Misheck Masamvu, Gareth Nyandoro, Masimba Hwati, Dana Whabira, Kresiah Mukwazhi, Wallen Mapondera and Ronald Muchatuta having their work on a number of high-profile exhibitions in the West and in Asia.
The overarching theme of the exhibition is yet to be announced, however, the Curator of the 60th Biennale, Brazilian Adriano Pedrosa, shows a continuation of Global South narratives being encouraged at the platform, after the 2023 Architectural Biennale’s curation by Lesley Lokko, from Ghana.
For more information, please visit the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.
