Where Sculpture Comes to Die

I had heard from some of my friends at the gallery about Rockston and finally made my way there on Monday. It's tucked away in the Woodlands area of Lusaka, a pleasant are near Chilenje where there quite a few artists living and some history. This was the area that the British colonists lived in and Chilenje is where Kenneth Kaunda lived, according to my sources, those fighting for independence used to sneek over from Chilenje to Woodlands at night to harass the Brits. Things are much quieter nowadays.

When arriving I was first struck with the beauty of the place. Woodlands itself lives up to its name, trees are abundant. Rockston has a large garden and as I pulled up to the gate I could already see through a gap sculptures dotting the grass. Unfortunately some of the pieces had seen better days, nevertheless everywhere I looked there was some example of art. Rockston claims to be a studio and gallery but at the moment nothing much is happening. There is certainly no gallery and the studios are lovely but badly in need of refurbishment. It is more the potential of the place that got me excited rather than where it is now. I hope that soon the managers will become more active.

The Art Academy

New From the Lusaka Art Scene

After waxing lyrical on Facebook about the Henry Tayali Gallery here in Lusaka, a visiting friend decided she wanted to find out what all the fuss is about. We went over on Saturday to find that the Augustudio exhibition had ended and been replaced with a collection by well established artists. My friend was impressed and we got talking to one of the most active artists Kapotwe whose abstract and vibrant paintings are often comments on social issues facing Zambia, particularly in connection with the environment.

Kapotwe chatted with us about his process of producing a painting and how he doesn't always know when he starts, what the work will explore. He simply paints and decides from what ends up on the canvas, what the painting will depict. He then mentioned that he sculpts too and we asked to see some examples. He led us out of the gallery to some studios in another part of the Showgrounds, outside the studios were some wonderful figures and animals made from scrap metal which were by Kapotwe and fellow artist Joseph.

Promoting the Henry Tayali Gallery

The Henry Tayali gallery based here in Lusaka started an ICT workshop this week for artists to come and learn how to use ICT to promote their artwork. I talked to the group about social networking and was impressed with their level of enthusiasm.

This gallery has so much potential and could be key to growing an art scene in Lusaka, I hope to do more promotional work with them soon.

The search for art scene yields: The Visual Arts Council of Zambia

When we first moved to Zambia, the chances of finding an art scene seemed slim, wherever I looked for info I came up with nothing. Some websites and tourist info stated there were no galleries in Lusaka.

When we lived here before we used to go to a little gallery in Eastern Province, where we bought some beautiful pieces, the gallery was VAC – the visual arts council of Zambia. Logic suggested there would be one in the capital and after looking in a good old fashioned phone book, we found it.

We attended the launch of its new exhibition on Thursday for its workshop 'Augustudio'. The work on display was a mixture of painting and sculpture – stone and wood, produced by students of Evelyn Hone college – a further education institution in Lusaka. Much of the work was competently executed and there was a great variation of styles. The subjects were very much rooted in the culture and landscape of Zambia and it was fascinating to see how these young people translated their experience into art.

Art is not taught much in schools in Zambia, it's seen as no use in getting a job and it's often difficult to see how creativity is really fostered here. That's why VAC and organizations like it are so important. VAC is funded by various international bodies including a few European embassies, many of the artists volunteer for the centre. The artwork is on sale and reasonably priced.

Digbeth Art Exploration Part III

The Ikon Eastside is an additional art space in Digbeth, a branch of the original Ikon in Brindley place a few miles away. It's a small space and only open from Thursday to Sunday, but plays host to talks and innovative art exhibits as well as Birmingham's amazing Flatpack Festival (see link below). At the moment, RAQS Media Collective from New Delhi are showing their work 'When the Scales Fall from Your Eyes'. In the warehouse sized room was a number of everyday objects - sofas, desks, fridges and other appliances - painted white. On each object was the exact same glass cast of a suited human torso, topped with weighing scales for heads, acting as vessels for various objects ranging from surreal to mundane.

The room, although not crowded, was comfortably filled with these creations and lit by a circular, gentle light about 6 foot across that slowly changed colour. The effect was truly beautiful, and I appreciated the work more taken as a whole rather than examining each piece individually. When I did so, I felt the work was not so strong and even looked a little shoddy, as the white paint was unevenly applied to some of the objects.

According to the literature provided by Ikon:
'When the Scales Fall From Your Eyes is devised to encourage a contemplative practice of considering 'muchness'. ' I can't say I felt it dealt with this effectively and seemed more of a study in the surreal or fetishism. Judging from the albeit cliched title of the show, I can only assume I was supposed to see some truth beyond our consumerist existence. I didn't. I enjoyed the work aesthetically but felt it failed in its message.

A couple of streets down from Ikon Eastside is Eastside Projects. As well as the similarity in name, Eastside's current exhibition is supported by Ikon and, like the RAQS Media Collective work, also explores modern life. Joanne Tatham and Tom O'Sullivan's show is called 'Does your Contemplation of the Situation Fuck With the Flow of Circulation?' The title is take from a Jan Verwoert text.

The work itself featured a large, cubic tunnel, painted white on the inside and with an abrstact pattern in pale pink, white and black on the outside. On one side is a wall decorated with a pale green pattern that bears posters that state 'Ecstacy kills'. On the floor are crudely rendered white outlines of maps and other objects I couldn't identify.

The work, is in some way a reflection of contemporary messages (in reference to the posters) but similarities have also been made with our current economic slump - the word 'circulation' perhaps referring to money. To be honest, I didn't get it. I read the interview with artists I was given when I went in, I still didn't get it. Sorry.

I also didn't like the space much, it was odd how the space was without boundaries and the work is very much dependent on the gallery itself, but from a more pragmatic point of view, I had trouble working out where the art ended. I found myself thumbing through some interesting publications displayed, then thought that perhaps they were part of the piece and gingerly put them back. They do, however, have an amzing office area constructed and the guy at reception was really helpful.

LINK ATTACK
Ikon Gallery - with pictures of exhibit
Eastside Project
Flatpack Festival - Awesome film festival in Birmingham

Digbeth Art Exploration Part II

The thing about Digbeth is the variety of smells; greasy food, but mainly chemical smells like diesel, oil and paint. It's a quietly busy area with businesses ranging from graphic design studios to limousine rental places. You walk down a street not quite sure what you're going to find and then not sure what you actually have found. On several occasions I was sure I had found an art space of some kind but never found out how to get in or what it really was.

My full, 2 day exploration of Digbeth came about because I felt I had not done enough when I was still living in B'ham. When the chance came to go back, I also decided to return to Digbeth. I knew the Custard Factory well, it has been a favourite place mine for years. It's the old Bird's Custard factory turned into a complex with shops, art studions, galleries, a theatre, places to eat and its own radio station Rhubarb, amongst other things. Every time I go back something new and really cool has sprung up. This time I noticed the Creative Open Workshop (link below) seemed to have grown and there was a shop selling paints with a lad hanging out on a couch inside drawing amazing pictures with felt tips. Truly, the Custard Factory is an exciting place.

After checking out the Custard Factory I used my art map from the Digbeth Is Good website to find more hidden gems, more on those tomorrow.

LINK ATTACK:

The Custard Factory

Digbeth is Good - Get the map and follow the art trail

Studio 4 - Brilliant Gallery and Shop showcasing the best in local art talent and they offer free mags like Vice.

Rhubarb Radio

Creative Open Workshops - craft tutorials and a great craft shop, fairs regularly.