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Angela Sibanda, [email protected]
For visual artist Descent Nyoni, a rural background and childhood experiences are a source of inspiration and a reminder of who he is.

The artist hosted his first solo exhibition at Alliance Francaise De Bulawayo this past weekend and captured art lovers.

His art consisted of paintings that depicted rural life during different seasons of the year, a representation of rural experiences during the rainy season, drought and sad moments.

However, his art stood out, because of an additional feature, a white mosquito net that was hung on most of the paintings, posing as a curtain. For one to be able to clearly view the painting, they had to move the net aside or upwards.

This was questioned by some individuals as they toured the display. Generally, art pieces are meant for display and they should be visible in order to draw one’s attention. In his defence, Nyoni said the whole idea was to break the rules of art. He said a mosquito net is found in almost every homestead in a rural community

“These nets are distributed to homesteads in villages. They are meant to shield the community from malaria-causing mosquitoes, but they expire after a while and they are used for other various things in the home.

“The nets are used on vegetable gardens, covering small trees, on part of the roofs and some even take them for fishing in dams,” he said.

His exhibition “From Grass to Grace” documents his experiences from the dusty paths of Lower Gweru as a young boy to the artist that he has become.

Like all artworks, Nyoni’s body of work is open to different perspectives. The mosquito net hanging on every art piece may be taken as a representation of common life situations that make it difficult to see the bigger picture and experience some beautiful moments.

Apart from the controversial ‘curtain’, the art is an interesting experience for those with rural backgrounds and everyone who is eager to experience the adventure.

Alliance Française De Bulawayo, through its partnership with the National Art Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo has been playing a huge role in exposing local artists to different markets. The exhibition space offered to up-and-coming artists contributes immensely to their growth and social interaction skills.

Alliance Francaise Bulawayo director Guillaume Ripaud said the outreach programme for up-and-coming artists is meant to create a relationship where they continue to work with and support artists.

“We may not be a gallery, but we have a beautiful space that can accommodate local artists. The idea is to give an opportunity to artists who have already been in group exhibitions for solo exhibitions. The art stays up to two months on display and through this outreach programme, we have had three artists exhibiting. The attendance during the launches is always amazing and encouraging.