Visual artist bemoans lack of appreciation
ZIMBABWE’S top digital visual artist Alfred Masunda has bemoaned lack of appreciation by the domestic market as compared to the red carpet treatment they receive in foreign lands.
Masunda told NewsDay Life& Style that some local artists and creatives have become more popular outside the country’s borders more than at home.
“The digital art industry has a lot of passion-driven youths who are determined to make it. It is quite disheartening that Zimbabwe gets most of its talent wasted, only realising how powerful and successful the artists can be when their talent is identified abroad,” he said.
“We have to play our part in making sure digital art is realised in Zimbabwe and we are certainly doing what we can to appreciate and nurture the younger generation.”
Masunda, a National Gallery of Zimbabwe visual art and design graduate, said passion had enabled him to pursue art as a profession.
“While digital art is an artistic work that uses digital technology as part of the creative process, I focus more on portrait art and illustration. This art is not common, but after working with different mediums like sculpture, painting and photography, I tend to be imaginative and even try to achieve a realistic feel within my work,” he said.
“Despite being passionate about digital art, I also take part in a bit of writing and sometimes fuse my written work with my art. It is really amazing sharing Zimbabwean stories with people from different countries.”
Although Masunda said the COVID19-induced lockdown has affected his quest to expand his career through collaborations with foreign artists, he is optimistic that things will take a different turn this year.
“I was expecting a lot of travel and collaborative work, but I had to utilise social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to continue with my work as I felt the need to do more projects,” he said.
“Despite the hindrances that came with the (COVID-19-induced) national lockdowns, I believe that everything happens for a reason and I am looking forward to doing better this year.”
Masunda has participated at several exhibitions such as the Afro-Native Art Exhibition (2018) which was a collaborative project between Zimbabwean and Zambian artists, Annual Members Exhibition at AVA Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa (2017), Urban Harvest Exhibition at Joina City in the capital (2014) and the Annual Artist Exhibition at Gallery Delta in Harare (2014).