Harare, Zimbabwe -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/06/2013 -- Njelele is pleased to present an exhibition entitled Home Bitter Sweet Home by emerging young artist Shannon Murphy, which runs from 22 August -14 September 2013.
Home Bitter Sweet Home is an amalgamation of experimental sculptural pieces that encompass Murphy’s Nest Series, Free like a Bird and Philemon, which examine avian and caliological themes of home, flight, migration and freedom. The show highlights the Nest Series, which explores Murphy’s ongoing search for a sense of space, place and belonging amidst the economic, agrarian and socio-political milieu of Zimbabwe in recent years.
The process of making the nests embodies a per formative materiality; made over time and left in situ in the different places that Murphy has visited locally and abroad. The nests have been uprooted and placed as artifacts for exhibition, displaying signs of erosion, weathering and damage that gestures toward an unwelcoming and inhospitable environment and Murphy’s elusive endeavor to create a place to call home.
Intricately woven within each nest are pivotal moments in Murphy’s life, such as First Love Nest, Settle Down Snare and Your body is your Temple that question domesticity, entrapment, nurture, security and refuge using materials ranging from his shirt and her skirt to barbed and recycled wire. The nests delve into playful social commentary and elicit many metaphorical connections inherent in the use of found materials such as Waiting for Electricity made from copper wire and electrical cables and tyres made from burnt tyre wire.
Home Bitter Sweet Home is a powerful conceptual statement reflecting a domestic state of affairs on both personal and national levels, extending internationally to the diaspora. The exhibition is particularly relevant to many Zimbabweans, at home and abroad, as their connection and relationship to both their residential homes and home country remains bitter sweet in the light of global economic and socio-political instability and uncertainty.
Home Bitter Sweet Home by Shannon Murphy reveals the lived experience of youth in our society and a fearless experimental practice that incorporates a myriad of approaches and materials. The exhibition demonstrates Njelele’s commitment to opening opportunities for young hidden talent and uplifting emerging local artists. In addition, Njelele offers a platform for experimental forms of art and curatorship encourages diversification of traditional art practice and focuses on cutting-edge and contemporary art media.
About Shannon Murphy
Shannon Murphy, aka NYAMI, was born in 1987 and educated in Zimbabwe. In 2006 she left to study a Visual Arts Diploma in Brisbane, Australia. She is a mixed media artist who explores various materials such as paint, clay, wood, metal, found objects, photographs and drawing tools. Murphy has exhibited in two solo shows in Brisbane and participated in several group shows in Brisbane and Harare. In 2007, she received the Fusions Conceptual Art award in Australia, and has carried out several public art commissions.
Njelele is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm. Njelele is located at 131 Kaguvi Street, Harare.
For further information, or to arrange an interview or appointment, please contact Njelele Art Station at;
Gladys Hwami
131 Kaguvi Street, Harare, Zimbabwe
Tel +263 (0)774 885 630
www.njelele.com
info@njelele.com