Venice 2011: Raphael Chikukwa, Zimbabwe Pavilion

In front of the Moroccan Pavilion, independent curator and roving corrrespondent for ARTonAIR.org Victoria Brooks speaks with Raphael Chikukwa, the curator of the Zimbabwe Pavilion's first Venice Biennale exhibition entitled Seeing Ourselves (showing artists Tapfuma Gutsa, Misheck Masamvu, Berry Bickle and Calvin Dondo at the Church of Santa Maria della Pietà, Calle della Pietà, Castello). Chikukwa discusses the trials endured to make it to Venice, the four artists showcased in their current exhibition, and future plans to return.

From his curatorial statement: The Zimbabwe Pavilion at the Venice Biennale is pivotal in establishing a platform after the isolation of many years. The Zimbabwean pavilion will provide a rare opportunity to spark discussions about the role of artists in a society. Zimbabwe has become a Zone of Silence with little access to the platforms of exchange through which it can communicate. It is in this view that a Zimbabwean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale will break the silence.

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