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Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief

When most people see dirt, she sees art, she sees value in that dirt.

And after many imbibers finish drinking their Chibuku or Indlovu opaque beer, this young woman collects the cap rings for her art.

Now because of her passion in art, 27-year-old visual artist Ms Nomzamo Ndebele from Lower Gweru has been nominated to represent Zimbabwe at the 9th Beijing Biennale Exhibition, in China next month.

The 9th Beijing International Art Biennale will be held from January to March 2022 and it is organised in the framework of the 2022 Winter Olympics, with the theme The Light of Life.

Her work will be featured at the China Museum.

Submissions of visual artworks (painting and sculpture) were invited from artists worldwide and Ms Ndebele who has been into visual art and painting since childhood will be the only female to accompany two other nominees who are gurus in the field, Dominic Benhura and David Ngwerume, both from Harare to represent the country at the prestigious international event.

The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture.

The exhibition will be a curtain raiser to the Olympic games in Beijing. Ms Ndebele said she was very happy to be representing the country.

She said she has passion for visual art and was elated to get international recognition.

“Since my childhood, I loved painting and visual art. I would communicate and make statements through visual art and am happy that finally my works have received international recognition and I am very happy to be raising the Zimbabwe and Second Republic’s flag high in China next month,” she said.

Ms Ndebele said she has also for the first time, been exhibiting her works at the National Arts Gallery in Bulawayo.

“I am also participating with other participants from the Midlands at the National Art Gallery and that is where my works have been seen,” she said.

Ms Ndebele, who lives with her mother and three siblings, attended Lower Gweru High School before proceeding to Gweru and Harare Polytechnic Colleges to pursue art and music.

“I realised I could draw in primary school. I would draw faces of people and animals. My passion for art has grown over the years. I am currently practising art under Musasa Arts and Culture in Gweru.

This is an organisation that seeks to empower youths especially females through art,” she said.

“Now I paint on canvas and on clay bowels. Sometimes I make use of useless or lost and found objects to create something new out of them. On the 21st of May I managed to present some of my work at the Culture Day in Gokwe.

One of my clay bowels painted in different colours and flowers was bought by Gokwe Hotel.”

National Arts Council Midlands provincial manager, Mrs Kumbirai Kupfavira said the province was happy to have one of their own nominated for the China exhibition.

“I understand her works will also be displayed in the China Museum we are proud of her achievements as the Midlands Arts council.

This becomes her first international exhibition and as a girl child we are not only proud of her but she has become an inspiration to many especially in the grassroots.

Ms Nomzamo is, also participating in the Midlands Group exhibition ‘Peripheral Chronicles’ at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo where her art works are outstanding,” she said.