In 2014, the National Gallery of Zimbabwe will stage an exhibition dedicated to the celebration of Zimbabwean design.

This exhibition hopes to create a platform on which designers can showcase their creative abilities in a central curated exhibition as well as an expo. It is an opportunity for the world to see what the nation has to offer in design. This includes but is not limited to the following areas of design:

 Product design
 Furniture design
 Architecture design
 Textile design
 Jewellery design
 Fashion design
 Costume design
 Body Art design
 Ceramic design
 Handmade design
 Digital design

The idea is to move the concept of design beyond mere craft items and begin to interrogate the design that already exists with a view to introduce greater dynamism and competition.

The show is organized as an attempt to understand where Zimbabwe currently stands in terms of local design. In response to this the National Gallery School of Visual Art and Design recently introduced design to its curriculum as a way of cultivating the design skills and ultimately contributing to the growth of the design sector in the country.

The theme for this exhibition is ZimbabweinDESIGN. We are encouraging designers to introspect regarding their cultural identity. We hope that, designers will examine the country’s heritage in order to reflect, remix, revise, reconstruct and reuse elements of Zimbabwean / African culture in contemporary ways. In addition, we hope that designers will explore the state of Zimbabwean design skills, content and quality with a view to encourage, to cross reference and to develop new synergies between art and design.

If you are interested in participating in the show, please email tandazani@nationalgallery.co.zw with the following:

• Portfolio / link to at least 5 images of your current work
• CV
• Artist Statement

Deadline of initial submission is 6 February 2014.

Exhibition Dates:

April 25, 2014 – Mid June 2014

http://www.nationalgallery.co.zw