Efforts to push for the prosperity of the domestic visual art stands to garner a crucial boost on Saturday as Dar es Salaam-based artists attached to the Nafasi Art Space firm hold an exhibition dubbed ‘Chap Chap Mixed Media’ at the firm’s venue.

The exhibition is a continuation of effective promotion of works done by the domestic visual artists, who have lately joined forces to ensure various artistic events are held regularly in a bid to inspire passion for visual arts among Tanzanians and thereby raise the profession’s status.

Nafasi Art Space official, Jan van Esch, said the ‘Chap Chap Mixed Media’ exhibition will involve all of the firm’s artists and the event will be accompanied by music performance by the Wahapahapa band and another guest music group.

Van Esch said visual arts lovers, who will attend the exhibition, will also be treated to theatre performance dubbed ‘Future in Progress’ from Music Mayday outfit, as well as a performance by dancers from a group named DDI.

‘Chap Chap Mixed Media’ adds to the list of exciting live paint exhibitions that have been organized by the Nafasi Art Space this year seeking to inspire creativity among domestic visual artists, apart from attracting more locals into the profession.

The exhibition is expected to pose an exciting challenge to the Nafasi Art Space’s artists to emulate the memorable exhibition dubbed ‘Action Paint’ held at the same venue earlier last year, in which six visual artists, four domestic and two foreign, participated in the live painting sessions that won the artists plaudits.

The artists, including the likes of Thobias Minzi, Paul Ndunguru, Lutengano Mwakisopile and Danish artist, Anna Samsoee, created captivating pieces of artworks in front of the audience using oil paints on white canvases, whilst deriving inspiration for their respective artworks from music played on the background.

An ongoing solo exhibition by Ugandan visual artist, Ronex Ahimbisibwe, dubbed ‘Order in Chaos’, held at the same venue, is so far the latest major event hosted there. Ahimbisibwe, a multi-media visual artist that graduated from the school of industrial and fine arts at Makerere University, Kampala, in 2001, made his maiden exhibition at the Nafasi Art Space and the event is expected to run until the end of this month.

As the Ugandan artist revealed, his visual journey entails studio research in a quest to discover his own capabilities, strength and even doubts.

By JAPHETH KAZENGA, Tanzania Daily News

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