Artcollab Studio

@artcollabstudio

Artcollab Studio produces collaborative art projects with multidisciplinary artists in different creative communities. Collaboration is at the heart of our organisation, you can support us through purchasing work through our online gallery. www.artcostudio.org Ilizwe/Nyika Collaborative project was produced in 2019 through a residency at the National Gallery of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and first exhibited at the Gallery in 2021, with support from the National Arts Council South Africa. This collaboration is a multidisciplinary work investigating narratives around land, national identity and gender in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Land is a sensitive issue in both countries, with colonial histories, struggles for independence and forced removals. Land ownership and land rights are still contentious issues in the neighboring states. The group of artists chose to explore the historical narrative of the Ndebele Queen Lozikeyi as a central theme in the work connected to the historical site of Hillside Dam in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. News headlines around gender-based violence were brought into sharp focus at the time of the residency, while xenophobic attacks flared up in South Africa and the ex-president of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe passed away ushering in a new political era. Moments of these news clips are included in our video soundscape. Collaborating Artists include: Cliford Zulu, Deborah Weber, Elgin Rust, Jolene Cartmill, Lady Tshawe, Nomvuyiso Mpofu, Shamilla Aasha, Zandile Masuku.