Acclaimed Zimbabwean fine art photographer, Tamary Kudita, was among 400 photographers from across 55 different countries participating in this year's Xposure International Photography Festival. The 8th edition of the festival featured over 90 solo and group exhibitions featuring over 2,500 prints on display.
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Tamary Kudita Image: Instagram/africatotheworldzw |
The Xposure International Photography Festival hosted in Sharjah brings together world-renowned photographers with professionals and amateur enthusiasts. Xposure showcases exhibitions from highly acclaimed photographers, leading galleries and emerging photographers.
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Part of Tamary Kudita's "Liberty" exhibition Image: Instagram/africatotheworldzw |
Part of Tamary Kudita's "Liberty" exhibition
Image: Instagram/africatotheworldzw |
The photographs in Kudita's "Liberty" series take their aesthetic cue from the portraits of the Dutch painter Rembrandt. Kudita enlivens them with clothing and cultural elements of Zimbabwe, delving into the country's colonial past. The fine art photographer began the series in 2019, after a call from the National Gallery of Zimbabwe for submissions reinterpreting one of Rembrandt’s works but applied to the local context.
Still buzzing from the incredible experience of exhibiting my work 'Liberty' at the 8th edition of the Xposure photo festival in Sharjah... I never thought my work would lead me here, but it's a testament to the power of writing down your vision and letting it take root. This festival was an explosion of making great connections - meeting and learning from like-minded photographers / creatives, and overall growth. - Tamary Kudita
Part of Tamary Kudita's "Liberty" exhibition
Image: Instagram/africatotheworldzw |
In part, Liberty reflects upon Kudita’s mixed heritage, which also incorporates South African and Dutch roots. The scenography that she employs in her works, blends motifs from various backgrounds. The photographer brings cultural objects together with fabric and also hairstyles, as hairstyles have a tradition of being undermined and overlooked.
The "Liberty" series ranks as another showcase of Kudita's barrier-breaking work and her consistent dedication to changing narratives. It comes on the back of the photographer's debut Photobook by the same name.
Born out of Kudita's Harvard Fellowship, the Photobook was created for art enthusiasts, visual storytellers, scholars and anyone interested in the artistic narration of 21st-century African Contemporary Photography through a Zimbabwean lens.
Tamary Kudita graduated from the esteemed Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, in 2017, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
Tamary’s exceptional talent and unique artistic perspective have earned her prestigious accolades and recognition within the art community. In 2021 she became the first African artist to receive the highly coveted title of Open Photographer of The Year at the Sony World Photography Awards. Tamary was the Runner-Up Prize for The See Me; Art Takes 2021 and the Most Inspiring Art Piece Award from The Voices of African Women Journal in 2020. She was also shortlisted for The International Contemporary African Photography Prize in 2021.
Tamary’s artistry has found a permanent home in The Fitchburg Art Museum’s prestigious photography collection. As a testament to her remarkable talent, the museum plans to stage a major exhibition in the fall of 2024 featuring the works of 21st-century African photographers, with Tamary’s art taking center stage.
Source(s): Africa News Agency, The National News
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