Hamburg’s M.Bassy is presenting a group exhibition entitled “Two Lizzards | Sharing One Stomach“. Co-organized by Modzi Arts in Lusaka, this presentation will run until December 15, 2023, and will showcase the dynamism and diversity of the Zambian contemporary art scene through a plurality of works by six contemporary artists. A unique opportunity to discover the art practice of Zambian contemporary artists.
The six artists invited to take part in this event are deeply rooted in the country and orient their work in Zambian narratives. As a result, the works unveiled during the exhibition, though plural in nature due to the diversity of media on offer including painting, sculpture, video, installation and digital art, all address a common perspective, that of ideas of sharing in Zambia’s future, questioning values, myths, social taboos and collectively focused on the past. The Zambian artists taking part in this ode to local art are Agness Buya Yombwe, Isaac Kalambata, Lawrence Chikwa, Lawrence Yombwe, Mapopa Hussein Manda and Maingaila Muvundika.
Lawrence Yombwe and his wife Agness Buya Yombwe‘s artistic approach explores indigenous knowledge systems, specifically those of the Mbusa of the Bemba people and collateral tribes of northeastern Zambia. Mbusa, a term meaning “things handed down“, refers to traditional arts such as pottery, sculptures and murals, which are key elements in the initiation and marriage ceremonies of Bemba girls. In his practice, Lawrence Yombwe assimilates to his mysterious landscape paintings, symbols to be deciphered that appear as a landmark to guide younger generations on how to love and respect. Agness Buya‘s activist style analyzes sociopolitical and environmental narratives that are muzzled in various societies, where the human condition is continually called into question.
Mapopa Hussein Manda opts for painted collages in the style of a simulated diary, through which he clearly appears as a socio-political commentator. Corresponding to Agness Buya Yombwe’s technique, the painted texts in his designs allow for another medial dimension, for greater relevance and depth to the observation.
The denunciatory, hard-hitting power of words is also present in Isaac Kalambata’s work. Blackening these works with texts and narratives, he aims to arouse interest in the colonial legacy and misrepresentation of Zambia’s politics and everyday laws. Taking a different approach, Lawrence Chikwa regularly incorporates Bibles or other religious books in different languages into his work, to encourage a discourse around sovereignty within Zambian heritage.
In an equally different vein, Maingaila Muvundika, the youngest artist in the group, experiments with digital collage using his own photographs. In doing so, the artist wishes to honor the social customs of pre-colonial Zambia, focusing primarily on collective gain rather than self-interest.
Although small, Zambia today has a vibrant and diverse art scene to offer the world its action and creativity in art. A cultural transformation has taken place within Zambian presumptions, led by many innovative actors working to rediscover cultural heritage, local artists and their socially engaged approaches to art. This need for local exploration is echoed in art institutions such as Modzi Arts in Lusaka and the Wayi Wayi artists’ studio in Livingstone, created by Agness Buya Yombwe and her husband Lawrence Yombwe, where the focus is on local community, environmental sustainability and collective empowerment, offering opportunities for cultural contributions to the self-image of the Zambian art community.
With this in mind, Taonga Julia Kaunda-Kaseka, founder and director of Modzis, says: “Art spaces such as Modzi Arts and Wayi Wayi are connectors and negotiators. Solidarity is their basic principle. We pay particular attention to the rituals surrounding conviviality and see them as a starting point for engaging with the collective spirit. We deconstruct models of sharing and try to go back into history to find stories that deal with notions of being together. The title of this group show, Two Lizzards | Sharing One Stomach, is emblematic of our idea of what sharing with the past means to these different artists.“
For the successful realization of the “Two Lizzards | Sharing One Stomach” exhibition, the M.Bassy and Modzi Arts institutions have committed to a joint collaboration for a better sharing of ideas. The result will be an additional and relevant discourse on institutional collaborations and how the world’s poles will share perspectives, resources and spaces.