NGZ calls for female participants
FOLLOWING this year's global theme for International Women's Day, “Balance for Better,” female artists are invited to consider the different sides of the theme and to allow themselves to dream and bethink the place and space, both traditionally and futuristically that women may embrace.
Executive director of the National Gallery Doreen Sibanda stated that the theme can be interpreted to represent various points of view in reflection to the woman's position today.
“Traditionally ‘a woman's place' was often ascribed to the 'home' which usually meant she was expected to stay at home to attend to all domestic chores as well as children and family. This place has been contested over the last hundred years and women have worked to redefine themselves augmented with many additional attributes above those of spouse and mothers. Women have fought hard for new and challenging spaces to accept them and certainly there has been noticeable pockets of progress throughout the world,” said Sibanda.
The term can be applied to society as a whole, underscore referring to the need for more balance between genders so we all benefit from a social fabric that recognises and rewards both genders in a more equitable manner.
“The new roles and tasks have offered many women the freedom they demanded though many do decline them as well. One can interpret this concept as the internal or personal balance a woman requires to be able to achieve a better life for herself and those around her, for imbalance usually means that she is restricted to the service of others to the detriment of self. The balance being that her energies are spread more evenly between nurturing herself as well as others,” she said.
However, such a space is naturally influenced by a myriad of considerations including religion, traditional beliefs, norms and mores as well as the contemporary arena which, as whole, presently occupy.
The exhibition will run from 22 March to 20 May 2019 and the deadline for submission of work is 15 March 2019. For curriculum vitae guidelines and required documents visit the National Gallery of Zimbabwe web page.