In art there are certain rare shows that people want to see again and again and probably a nude art exhibition is one of them.
Nude art, a form of visual abstract art has the power to change the view of art in Malawi and the artists behind Malawi’s first ever nude exhibition “Nudes of Liberty”, Bruno Matumbi and Jay Joshi, are at it again, taking the exhibition to Lilongwe and Mzuzu.
In an emailed response to a questionnaire, Matumbi said they are planning to have the next exhibition in Lilongwe and preparations are at an advanced stage and after that, Mzuzu will be the next stop.
With this, the two cities should anticipate for paintings such as a shattering sight of seductive figures with inviting eyes and long curls twisting in the deep blue darkness, head thrown back in ecstasy, or maybe anguish, something one will have to determine for themselves, this is abstract art remember.
Matumbi said the exhibition is a celebration of freedom in the perspective of womanhood as the womankind has been shackled and tethered and continues to be so under the guise of morality, tradition and religion, among other things.
“This exhibition celebrates the beauty within womanhood when freedom is given to her. And at no other time is a person freer than when he is not shackled by clothes. The clothes we wear force us to be what we are not and this is the case of womanhood.
“They wear the clothes of a follower yet woman is a leader. They wear the clothes of a servant yet woman is a master. Just like any other human being. The public should expect a challenge to their beliefs about womanhood and art in general. The exhibition is an eye opener as well as an exposition of an art form usually done and seen in secret,” said Matumbi.
Speaking on the process the two rarest artists used to get their exhibition to the public, Matumbi said they applied for a licence to have the exhibition and the Censorship Board kindly granted them the licence and through the help of an event management agency, they organised the venue and all was done.
The Blantyre exhibition, organised just as an art exposition celebrating freedom through feminine body and not as a selling outlet of any pieces of art, had an overwhelming public reception despite being the first of its kind in the country.
“Initially, during the first exhibition we expected just a bunch of friends showing up to support but it turned out that the patronage was wider than we expected. The reaction to the art on display was an eye opener. There are some pieces of art which I made with a particular perspective and when some people saw the same pieces, they had a different perspective all together. In some paintings others would find sorrow while others find happiness,” said Matumbi.
