Can you see me? Of course you can’t because I am hidden behind this screen, text and transmitted by a magical satellite onto whichever screen you are looking at. Sometimes, however, women are right in front of you, and still they may as well be as micro as a chip in our mobile devices because they are not acknowledged, heard or even seen. Yet without them, the operating system of the phones, computers or whatever other metaphor you can think of for life, would not function so smoothly, or dare I say–at all…
Lilian Magodi and Janet Siringwani Nyabeze titillated our senses to make sure that they would not only be seen, but also felt at the opening of their eclectic exhibition titled ‘Can you see me?’
This body of work is striking. These women are masters of the brush. Each stroke of their brushes makes sure that you do not simply brush aside the realities faced by women. One painting by Nyabeze ‘The Prophet’ (an oil piece) seems as if it will jump out of the canvas in a miracle similar to the ones ostensibly performed by the healers-cum-prophets depicted within it.
Three hundred dollars to heal different ailments and hundreds outstretched hands desperate for a miraculous touch are highlighted. The bold, unapologetic colours invoke synesthesic perception of each piece—it’s like you can feel the sweat of the clamouring congregants, and smell the stuffy room suffused with cologne and lack thereof as the bodies are squished together in earnest supplication.
Nyabeze uses clear shapes reminiscent of Picasso’s photo-cubist period of African-inspired art which drew heavily from African masks. Please let’s resist the urge to ‘euro-fy’ her work and that of her co-exhibitor, Lilian Magodi.
Magodi’s style is completely different to Nyabeze’s and absolutely sublime. She uses muted colors (mainly black and white) sometimes with speckles of red to tell beautiful and sometimes heart-rending stories which are anything but mute.
M&M Dance Factory performance. PIC: COURTESY OF TSOKO GALLERY
Curator Tandazani Dhlakama admiring the art at Tsoko Gallery PIC: COURTESY OF TSOKO GALLERY
Audience at Tsoko Gallery PIC: COURTESY OF TSOKO GALLERY
Jaimee McClaren reciting a poem by Margaret Atwood PIC: COURTESY OF TSOKO GALLERYOne painting entitled ‘Hupenyu Mutoro’ (‘Hardship’) shows a mother and child walking hand in hand as the mother carries another baby on her back and a load on her head. It is a powerful interpretation of a story we know well here in Zimbabwe.
Women’s loads in life are often heavier than their male counterparts (please allow this sweeping statement which has no fancy journal quotations, we all know it is generally true and if we dig for research to corroborate it, we will find it).
Another breathtaking piece by Magodi is ‘The Bond’ which shows a mother and child intertwined—wow is all I can say. It is a piece I would deliberately hang right at the entrance of my home so that as you walk in you will clearly see my amazing taste in art…there are simply no questions as to how stunning it is.
Gallery owner, Katharine Scheeberger was, as goes the slang term, “the hostess with the mostest”. She artfully coupled performance art with the paintings and convened a beautiful gathering. Bringing in the performances was a master stroke (I would argue as masterful as the brush strokes of Magodi and Nyabeze).
If you think about it, the different forms of art are interdependent and when shown in the same space they complement incredibly. In the poetry readings by Jamie Patricia McLaren you could hear, see and feel the expression, and the call to action to really appreciate women.
Next up was a video of a performance by Chipo Chikara (for those of you who do not know this ‘talent’ of a woman, please look her up). Her interpretation of a battered woman who then torches her husband after an egregious abuse is (can I say wonderful for such a morbid topic)…well we are talking about her depiction, so yes, that was wonderful!
Finally, a dance performance by M&M Dance factory made sure no sense felt left out–the music, choreography and delivery were on point (just like they were close to being in their ballet flats).
The exhibition will run for one month, so please get over there, just don’t buy my favourite painting yet…I’d better not say which; I’ll simply check if it’s still there after payday.
