Yebo Contemporary Art Gallery curated the first Ezulwini Annual Biennale for the Barn Space at the 2015 MTN Bushfire Festival. Thirty artists participated in the event.
The curator of the exhibition, Aleta Armstrong “ I kept reading about all these prestigious Art Biennales happening in Miami and Venice and knew they were never going to call us in Swaziland or even if by some miracle they did we just don’t have the millions we need to set up a stand there. But there was nothing stopping us from just setting up our own Biennale in Swaziland…and having it every year! Just to be different…
It’s exciting to have 30 artists participating in this year’s event and we always love being part of The Barn and all the interesting discussions that happen there along with the brilliant backdrop of the Bushfire festival.”
Art South Africa, a leading arts magazine has also written about the exhibition in their newsletter that was sent to 10,000 subscribers and the Ezulwini Annual Biennale features in their social media as well.
Mbongeni Dlamini, co-ordinator of The Barn; “The idea of an art exhibition in the Barn is perfectly obvious to me. This will be the fourth exhibition we have had in the Barn, so the idea isn’t new. But at a festival of the arts, as MTN Bushfire is, it is important that we acknowledge and experience as many forms of art as possible. Swaziland is in grave need of art and artists, particularly engaged and creative visual artists. I’m only too happy that the collaborative effort of Yebo Art Gallery and MTN Bushfire results in such rich variety.
The Barn is part of MTN Bushfire. It is an exhibition space, a stage, a platform, a shaded café, a place to talk, and watch and dance and look and listen. As a festival initiative, the Barn facilitates creativity, expression and conversation, while encouraging participants to be
Artists participating in this year’s exhibition: Sunshine Nxumalo, Fela Dlamini, Dane Armstrong, Hannah Johnson, Celimpilo Dlamini, Taiwo Ohu, Joseph Mushipi, Thabo Sibeko, Peter Armstrong, Thabo Lukhele, Steve Biggert, Helen Moir, Mbongeni Fakudze, Khulekani Msweli, Kenneth Shabangu, Mesuli Mamba, Iain Pearson, Claudia Beretta, Phillip Mdluli, Aleta Armstrong, Seni Mdluli, Kato Nevling, Anica Lin, Ilona Petzer, Tenele Dlamini, Kei Franklin, Tony Marshak, Mfanfikile Mndzebele, Ina Koekemoer & Lisa Kisyeri.
