After being in the creative space for eight years, Namibian printmaker and sculptor Elisia Nghidishange is still passionate about art, a craft she has no desire to let go of, redefining herself through her latest solo project House of Connection.
Launched by the National Art Gallery of Namibia and StArt Art Gallery, this latest body of work consists of an ambitious presentation of sculptures, reliefs and lino prints. Nghidishange’s mixed media sculptures and reliefs use a combination of ceramics, welded metal, woven fabric and found objects.
“It’s very exciting to have gotten this great opportunity to exhibit in the National Art Gallery of Namibia, our only biggest gallery so far. I do mix media sculpture and printmaking. On my sculpture, I use metal to build the structure, and weave them with fabric, with printmaking, I am known for both cardboard print and lino. In my current exhibition, I used only lino,” she told VIBEZ!
Her exhibition, which started in October, ends on 2 November 2024, with Nghidishange saying her creation and preparation for this exhibition started last year.
She stated: “As an artist, I believe connections play a very significant role in a human’s life. They give us the freedom to express ourselves, whether by touching or speaking. I look at the world as the ‘house of different connections’, which sometimes make us feel great, and push us beyond our normality without us realising the effects they may have on ourselves or other people. There are some addictive connections that we have learned to depend on, which may result in disconnection.” Chief curator at the National Art Gallery of Namibia, Ndeenda Shivute-Nakapunda told VIBEZ! that Nghindishange’s exhibition is interactive, engaging and captivating.
“Her exhibition is also educative, which we as a gallery facilitate where we have school groups coming in and we talk about her work, her material and the process that she works with,” she stated.
The curator added that this is equally a form of expanding her work, and creating sustainable employment in the sense that for artists when they showcase their work, they’re able to fund themselves and create more work,” said Shivute-Nakapunda.
She noted that these types of exhibitions act as a platform for networking, especially at the opening day, where the artists and the public can come together and connect about like-minded topics.
She said for artists to showcase and those who haven’t exhibited before they can start by taking part in the gallery’s open-call exhibitions.
“Another thing that we encourage artists to do is, we are trying to develop an emerging artists’ programme, where we will be inviting artists without experience coming into the pit, and in those cases, it’s simply to just share your portfolio,” she hinted.
Shivute-Nakapunda indicated that this year, their calendar was full of exhibitions, a sign that there is an interest in artists showcasing their work, and equally highlighting the impact of the gallery.
“This year has been our first year with a fully- packed calendar, and the response has been great. It’s been amazing and encouraging. We have revamped, the artists were impressed with the way the space looks, they’re impressed with the quality of service that they’re giving, and we’re striving to learn and do better for them,” she joyfully said.
-psiririka@nepc.com.na