RAPHAEL CHIKUKWA: In 2004 you
represented Zimbabwe at the Dakar Biennial. After the Johannesburg Biennale
fiasco Dak’Art is considered the best exhibition in Africa at the moment.
What were your impressions of the show?
TAPFUMA GUTSA: Dak’Art is an opportunity
to present Africa in the best of lights. The only danger I see there is that
there are a lot of power games involved. It seems that artists somehow have
to pimp their way in.
RC: You are currently based in Vienna. Do you think this has affected
your work to a certain extent?
TG: Living in Vienna has been tough so
far and has been a great upheaval in my personal life, but it’s also
refreshing because I am nobody here and I have to prove myself in rather
difficult circumstances. My work is getting smaller, a lot more
concentrated, and I am trying to work with the most disparate disciplines in
order to come up with stronger sculptures. Vienna is not an easy place and
the fact that people aren’t aware of the African contemporary art scene
makes it hard to live here. London would be a better option for me because
there’s a stronger Zimbabwean community.
RC: So how’s your work developing?
TG: Some of my works reflect the
limitations I met along the way, and have subverted the situation in order
to allow me to continue my production. I have been mainly working with wood
but have switched to ceramics lately. As I said, the work is getting
smaller, if not portable, because of the space I work in.
RC: The majority of Zimbabweans are leaving their country because of
the diaspora, including artists. Where do you see Zimbabwean contemporary
art going over the next few years?
TG: There are a lot of dramatic changes
going on out there, but I’m an optimist. The good people that have left will
one day bring back their experience to their homeland and this will
fertilise the local context and will merge with it. The way I see it, my
absence is a good thing. It allows the younger generation to flex their
muscles and leave a mark. There’s pressure to do well and sell, and the
quality of work is bound to improve.
RC: We met at the opening of ‘Africa Remix’ at the Hayward Gallery in
London a couple of years ago. As you know the exhibition is travelling, it’s
been to Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Mori Museum in Tokyo, and is
currently in Stockholm at the Moderna Museet. It will probably travel to
South Africa at the end of the year. They claim ‘Africa Remix’ is a success
but do you think it is a fair representation of today’s African art scene?
TG: It’s difficult to tell. It’s too big
and perhaps there are too many cronies involved. It is probably time for
curators to focus on a reduced group of artists instead of trying to take on
a whole continent, especially if it stands for a complex reality such as
Africa.
RC: My point is: do you think Africa needs an exhibition like ‘Africa
Remix’? What do you think about the way the art was presented? Don’t you
think for example that South African artists are always overly represented
on these occasions?
TG: Well, this is art politics you’re
talking about and very little can be done about it.
RC: You’re one of the most prominent artists in your own country and
in the whole African continent but how do you feel about your position in a
worldwide context?
TG: Well, yes, I feel a bit frustrated.
I’ve been working for a long time and I’m not featured in any notable
international shows. On the other hand, I am sure the work will be respected
in the future. Zimbabwe itself has become a liability for artists like me as
we are expected to make some noise about something, but then what this
something exactly is, I don’t know. But I am aware of the big picture and I
don’t think artists should be propagandists.
RC: A lot of artists like you, Berry Bickle and others left Zimbabwe,
and others will certainly follow over the years. You said you’re optimistic
about the future, but what about the present of the Zimbabwean contemporary
art world? What do you think will happen?
TG: Something will happen. See it as a
selective process. Under difficult circumstances, only the truly committed
ones carry on.
Raphael Chikukwa Is A Critic And Curator Based In Harare