News / Local
Visual artist 'Maseko' in trouble again
30 Oct 2015 at 11:00hrs | Views
CONTROVERSIAL visual artist Owen Maseko has run into trouble with authorities again as his new display at the National Gallery in Bulawayo Art Gallery was dismantled hardly a day after it went up for exhibition.
Maseko's artistic works were part of an exhibition titled Kwacha that opened last night.
Said one of the people who attended to opening on Thursday evening "Yesterday at the launch Owen gave us chalk to write our interpretations of the work on the black surface. Most messages where sexual of course. I think that is what caused discomfort".
Early this year, the dreadlocked artist had his works Gukurahundi inspired paintings pulled down five years after the exhibition was banned.
The exhibition titled 'Sibathontisele' (Lets Drip on Them) consisting of three installations and twelve wall paintings briefly opened at the gallery in March 2010 before state authorities, who have suppressed public debate around the 1980s massacres, shut it down.
Maseko together with the director of the art gallery, Vote Thebe, were arrested by police. Thebe was later set free.
The dreadlocked artist was charged with undermining the authority of, or insulting the president and causing offence to persons of a particular race or religion.
Maseko's artistic works were part of an exhibition titled Kwacha that opened last night.
Said one of the people who attended to opening on Thursday evening "Yesterday at the launch Owen gave us chalk to write our interpretations of the work on the black surface. Most messages where sexual of course. I think that is what caused discomfort".
Early this year, the dreadlocked artist had his works Gukurahundi inspired paintings pulled down five years after the exhibition was banned.
The exhibition titled 'Sibathontisele' (Lets Drip on Them) consisting of three installations and twelve wall paintings briefly opened at the gallery in March 2010 before state authorities, who have suppressed public debate around the 1980s massacres, shut it down.
Maseko together with the director of the art gallery, Vote Thebe, were arrested by police. Thebe was later set free.
The dreadlocked artist was charged with undermining the authority of, or insulting the president and causing offence to persons of a particular race or religion.
Source - Byo24News
