By Andrew Mulenga
Once again, 37d Gallery, a private venue in
Lusaka’s leafy Kabulonga residencial area did not disappoint when it recently hosted
six emerging artists, Mulenga Mulenga, David Makala, Natasha Evans, Tom Phiri,
Rabson Phiri and Emmanuel Chibaye in a thoroughly absorbing show of works entitled Movement-Momentum.
Balance (scrap metal) by Rabson Phiri |
A relatively new space, on the Zambian art
scene, 37d is a highly exclusive venue and visitors to the gallery only get to
see it by invitation. The gallery space is on private property, and the
organizers, The stART Foundation, a private trust founded to promote
the visual arts in 2011 strictly emphasize on ‘high quality’ artwork and they are
quite picky on artists they invite to exhibit in the space.
The
stART Foundation’s board members comprises
entreprenuers Claire Chan and Cilla Frost-d’Elbee among others. Last year Chan
was quoted as saying “However, do not expect so many exhibitions at 37d, We can
only do it so many times a year; it will have to remain exclusive. We can only
have at least three exhibitions a year.”
To outsiders, Chan can
appear inscrutable and aloof but those who know her, however, say that she is
good company and retains a youthful sense of mischief and passion for art. She
is extremely focused on what she does and is also known to drive a hard deal.
It appears The stART Foundation intends to make 37d
a viable western-style commercial gallery carefully selecting artists, hosting
them at a fee of course and keeping a percentage of the earnings on every work
sold. They have an exclusive list of buyers whom they invite to view the work
and bid for purchases at champagne-flowing exhibition openings,
and from the look of things, it seems to be working. They have successfully
hosted such artists as Flinto Chandia, Stary Mwaba, Lawrence Yombwe and Pam
Guhrs-Carr.
Mwanapwebo (bronze and other media) by Tom Phiri |
Mulenga Mulenga
sold the only painting she had in the show, which, if you asked anyone who
knows her work, was not even one of her stronger specimens. The mystery however
is why she only had a single work on display as opposed to artists such as
Evans who had about ten paintings on display, quite a disparity for a group
exhibition, disparity that would have made sense if the show was a Natasha Evans solo exhibition that features
‘other’ artists, but obviously the well capable curators at The stART Foundation know exactly what they were doing.
Emmanuel Chibaye was able to make at least
one sale of his enigmatic Dali-esque pen and ink drawings as did Rabson Phiri,
a product of late Friday Tembo’s Ulendo Studios in Lusaka’s Linda Compound.
Phiri sold a magnificent scrap metal sculpture entitled Balance that mymics someone riding a unicycle and has trailing
flanges that give the impression of wind and speed.
The Vagrant (mixed media) by Natasha Evans |
Nevertheless, while 37d
Gallery is one of the best things to happen to the Zambian art scene in the
past couple of years, and as much as it is playing a part in helping a select
group of artists to get their works sold, its emphasis on exclusivity is
somewhat worrying.
Let us suppose artists are convinced to sign with the gallery under some
sort of binding contractual circumstances. This will mean that a body of work
by a particular artist that was exclusively meant for an exhibition at 37d
cannot be enjoyed by the general public. It will be shown at a private gallery
opening, purchased and whisked away to an equally private residence, personal
office or boardroom, never to be seen or enjoyed by anyone else other than the
collector again.
Threshing (Acrylic on canvas) by David Makala |
However, 37d is not entirely all about sales and the commercial aspects
of running a gallery. The gallery, alongside The stART Foundation runs
Just Imagine an outreach programme that carries out
workshops where some basic art skills are imparted and talented children mingle with
established art professionals.
Giga Psych III (pen on paper) by Emmanuel Chibaye |
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