Exhibihition explores rural life

Entitled “The Land”, this exciting exhibition was sponsored by Syngenta, a Swiss biotech company committed to sustainable rural communities and in assisting small-scale farmers in Zimbabwe.

Concerned with meeting food requirements, educating farmers and promoting sustainable agriculture, Syngenta decided to create an awareness of these programmes through the collective talent of many of Zimbabwe’s leading artists. The emotively charged theme of “The Land” is close to the heart of every contestant, evidenced by the vibrant responses and works of art currently on display at Gallery Delta.

Freddy Tauro, an impressive young artist, won first prize in the painting awards for his large acrylic on canvas, “Abandoned Farm”.

Surely one of the saddest words in the English language, “abandoned” sums up the desolation of the empty farm house, crumbling farming implements and broken down fences of a once thriving microcosm.

What lifts this depiction into the realms of the extraordinary are the vivid oranges, ochre and earth tones of the land, and Tauro’s masterly brush strokes, which present us with the powerful rendition of a fait accompli, a state of being that history cannot change.

In sharp contrast is a mixed media on canvas painting by Shepherd Mahufe, entitled “At Macheke”.

Mahufe shows us how Mother Earth responds to nurture and love, as the pastel shades of thriving tobacco fields stretch endlessly towards distant blue mountains, into a rosy dawn sky. Dividing his time between painting, playing rugby and working with the disadvantaged at Emerald Hill School for the Deaf, Mahufe has now turned his hand to farming in the Goromonzi area.  This proximity to Mother Earth should provide the inspiration for more beautiful paintings.

Gareth Nyandoro, a prolific and accomplished local artist, won an award for a beautifully executed etching entitled “Peasant”.

This composition illustrates the many facets of a rural life lived in harmony with the land. Water is drawn by hand from a deep well, and livestock must be cared for. Food preparation while kneeling at the grinding stone is hard work.

All-important in the scheme of things is the deity behind the tribal mask dominating the etching.

Eyeless in Zimbabwe, the empty sockets of this deity are covered over with leaves. As the toxic fumes of the recession continue to pollute our lives, the survival and welfare of artists becomes increasingly urgent.

We need artists to remind us of what is honourable and beautiful in our lives, and to warn us of the consequences of evil and the wages of sin.

Sponsorship of the kind provided by Syngenta provides inspiration and opportunities within the art world, and long-term benefits.

The Gallery Delta Foundation continues to offer material support to many artists while providing a platform for the visual arts.

Visit Gallery Delta and enjoy the paintings, etchings and sculptures that offer so many interpretations of our land. You might even feel inclined to attempt a drawing or painting to express your own sentiments!

Gallery Delta

‘Robert Paul’s Old House’

110 Livingstone Avenue/9th Street

Greenwood Park

Tel:792135