Staff Writer
Following rave reviews and a full house at the exhibition opening night of Ndishonongoreiwo by Sabina Mutsvati, mbira musician Hope Masike, top photographer Nyasha Gurure and the National Gallery of Zimbabwe collaborated to expand the lease of life of some the exhibited pieces, in fashion and photography.
The collaboration saw music and visual art being fused in a photoshoot of Hope Masike in avant-garde pieces, Varoora and Vamwene. The two pieces, woven in African traditional brooms, are ground-breaking artistic dresses celebrating the African culture at large and the women of Africa.
“These dresses are a symbol of the power that we carry as African women. We should not be told otherwise. We are bearers of great wisdom, power and strength”, Sabina Mutsvati explained.
Explaining her creative process, Nyasha Gurure said, “I like thinking beyond photography, and these pieces inspired me to do exactly that.
“The two dresses, Vamwene and Varoora got me thinking: these are early morning queens, and the first eye witness is the bird. That’s why I took the other shot from a bird’s view, and I kept a sunrise light feel.”
“I was really delighted to collaborate with some of Zimbabwe’s finest artists, visual artist Sabina Mutsvati and photographer Nyasha Gurure. These are women who seek to explore creativity without any boundaries, bringing to the fore pertinent societal conversations. My own brand seeks to celebrate African art.
“So this collaboration spotlighted exactly that, while celebrating the mbira also. Many thanks to the National Gallery of Zimbabwe for allowing us to explore all creative possibilities with Sabina’s exhibited works,” Hope Masike.
The National Gallery of Zimbabwe prides itself in celebrating exceptional work by Zimbabwean visual artists, and they generously opened their doors for this photo shoot.
Through this collaboration; four creative forces and an exceptional celebration of African women was realized.
“Ndishonongoreiwo is an act of care and a refusal. Through collaborations like these, we are reminded that institutions, too, are living organisms, capable of transformation if we allow them to be unsettled,” said Fadzai Muchemwa, the Curator of the exhibition.
Hope Masike
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