'Crossing Lines' to bring diverse artistic practices to the world

CROSSING LINES: CONTEMPORARY VOICES FROM ZIMBABWE & SOUTH AFRICA

- BARNABAS TICHA MUVHUTI

THE exhibition Crossing Lines: Contemporary Voices from Zimbabwe & South Africa at DHV Artworks in the Dallas Design District (8-22 November) saw more than 400 visitors, itself a testimony of how well-received in Dallas the artists were.

THE exhibition Crossing Lines: Contemporary Voices from Zimbabwe & South Africa at DHV Artworks in the Dallas Design District (8-22 November) afforded the community of North Texas a glimpse into Southern Africa's diverse contemporary artistic practices.

The show marked the conclusion of a month-long intensive creative residence at Indibano Art Residency - an institution founded by Bukekile Dube with the idea of fostering collaborations and mentorship, and building a lasting relationship between Dallas and parts of Africa - with the participating artists being South Africa's Lloyd Maluleke and Zimbabwe's Nothando Chiwanga and Pardon Mapondera.

The trio constituted the third cohort of invited artists for the initiative, following Tamari Kudita and Kganya Mogashoa, who were followed by George Masarira, Richie Madyira and Mandla Mavengere. Deborah Hartigan, the show's curator and owner of DHV Artworks, said that the show received close to 400 visitors, itself a testimony of how well-received in Dallas the artists were.

Maluleke’s figurative work mostly featured portraits of his family and friends, with the artist and his father quite at the center of it. In works like ‘Footsteps: Like father like son’ and ‘Bloodline: Like father like son’ the artist reminisces about his own close relationship with his father, a superhero who worked hard and provided for the family.

Emulating his father, the young son also adorns a helmet, a form of protective gear the dad would wear on the mines. In this story of happy childhood memories, the bag carried by the father is rendered as acarrier of food and toys that would bring happiness to the family and the little boy.