Paheja Siririka
A group of 21 contemporary Namibian artists had their work showcased at an exhibition in Serbia as a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the land of the brave but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the exhibition – dubbed Reflect – was opened later than the memorable date of 21 March.
The exhibition is the result of collaborative work with the National Art Gallery of Namibia (NAGN). The works of the 21 artists – 24 artworks – were chosen at the beginning of February this year by the joint forces of the museum in Belgrade, capital of Serbia, and the NAGN in Windhoek.
One of the exhibitors, Kim Modise, said she was ecstatic and more than happy to witness the amount of work and dedication put into the exhibition.
“I saw my work and the interaction around it. That’s now an international exhibition. It’s an overwhelming and great job and supports us the artists and the nation at large,” he shared.
Another exhibitor, Barbara Pirron, said she just visited the Belgrade museum online and congratulated them on the colourful, very well presented and informative exhibition.
The exhibition, whose full title is Art Reflections of History, deals with German colonialism at the beginning of the twentieth century, the cruel South African regime and the apartheid politics that followed.
The honorary consul of Namibia in Serbia, Vasilije Boskovic, thanked the museum of African Art in Belgrade and the NAGN for their collaboration in putting together the exhibition.
“We would also like to thank the Namibian ambassador to Austria in Vienna, Nada Kruger, and the entire team. My lovely wife Draga Boškovic in Namibia also deserves credit for initiating this project – she is a wonderful driving force behind it.
One of the curators, Ana Kneževic said unfortunately Namibian artists could not attend the grand opening earlier this month because of Covid-19 and that the exhibition will, however, run until March 2021.
She added: “Remembrance culture is carefully safeguarded through Artistic Reflections of Memory: the trauma induced by horrific wars, collective and individual struggles for independence and equality, personal memories and stories on life in Namibia.”
Kneževic highlighted that contemporary Reflexes have also been included, in the tone of criticism that focuses on difficult existential circumstances, harsh class differences, the fragility of Namibia’s present economy and the place of artists and people within them.
She added: “Artistic Reflexes for the future pose questions about the fate of rare animal species, global warming, corruption scandals, a dysfunctional society, and all this with an awareness of the discomforts of the Namibian present. In other words, we present within the framework of this exhibition art reflectors that cast a unique light on the past, present and future of Namibia.” – psiririka@nepc.com.na