Shimie art exhibition addresses boy-child issues
After the success of an art exhibition called Motlhala recently, Empire Arts Consultancy, an art and artist Management Company will host fine artist Boemo Lunga’s art exhibition. The event titled Shimie will be held at Thapong Visual Arts Centre Gallery from June 19-29, 2021.
Obed Mokhuhlani, the curator for Empire Arts told Arts & Culture in an interview that Shimie is a term that denotes undermining one’s masculinity. “A man feels belittled, or rather less important when regarded as Shimie by others. It’s a term coined from a Tswana term mosimane/moshimane>> Shimane. It literally means boy.” Shimie solo exhibition addresses issues relating to the ‘boy-child’ as being a victim and perpetrator of social ills, as having been left behind and his masculinity relegated to nothingness, as equally being important in the fight against GBV. This follows the May 16 commemmorations of the International Day for the Boy-Child, which was established in 2018 and focusses on protecting the boy-child from harmful societal pressures,” Mokhuhlani revealed.
He added that to further make the event interesting, and assert art as an agent for social change, they have added a panel discussion that will be facilited by Dr Lesedi Mashumba of Botswana Organisation of Fathers and Children At Risk (BOFCAR). It will feature a representative of the Balete Royal family who will also be the Guest Speaker for the day. Other panelists include educator and author of a short comic book, Judah, I. Tatedi, author, designer and businesswoman Lepang Ferguson, and Boemo Lunga.
Looking back, Mokhuhlani said he met Lunga a few years ago on Facebook. “We then met in Francistown when I was curating the first Francistown Arts Meeting Exhibition in 2019. His erratic touch with charcoal and painting skill caught my eye so much that we selected one of his works in the exhibition to be presented as a gift to the then guest speaker, Tebogo Lebotse”.
Mokhuhlani also added that during the FNBBF Bodiragatsi Jwame Art Competitions, which he had been appointed by Francistown Arts Meeting as a content producer and adjudicator, Lunga presented amazing works and won the competition. “During the 2nd edition of FAM, in February 2021, we commissioned Boemo, with two other female artists to produce works for the outdoor ‘Spaghetti’, exhibition. This body of work addressed GBV issues,” he highlighted further.
Mokhuhlani recalls how Lunga contacted him and asked for his curatorial services. “Surprisingly, Lunga and Ronald Kegomoditswe called me 30 minutes apart on the same date, requesting the same services. It thus explains why their shows come one after the other”.
He admitted that it had been a strenuous journey to finally piece the exhibition together. Mokhuhlani, who is a two-times Thapong Artist of The Year (TAYA) award winner, said the strenuous journey was primarily due to three factors; distance, communication and finances. “For the past four months, Lunga had been living between Selebi-Phikwe and Francistown. This had an impact on studio visits. As the curator I could not physically engage in the production process nor monitor progress. We communicated by mobile phone, which wasn’t smooth as at some point, he didn’t have a phone and had to rely on family and friends,” he further indicated.
Mokhuhlani also stated that Lunga produces paintings on canvas and drawings on paper. “It is the latter process that was difficult to manage because he couldn’t find the papers he preferred and the other issue is framing. Unlike in other spaces where paper drawings can be hanged on walls without framing, in Botswana, people are accustomed to framed works and the lack thereof, is regarded as unprofessional,” he acknowledged.
He said since they did not have a sponsor, they are yet to decide on the hanging strategy for Lunga’s drawings. For his part, Lunga reiterated that this exhibition was inspired by the GBV that occurred last year during the lockdown period. “I realized that GBV is very much linked to how a boy-child is being raised. Boys are often overlooked and they end up growing up to be abusers,” he highlighted. He said one of the paintings in the collection was meant to appreciate the African woman. “I wanted to show appreciation for our culture as well no wonder I used German and African prints on the paintings,” he revealed. Shimie Art exhibition opening will be on June 19 at 11.30 am and tickets are sold at P100 for adults and P50 for students.