The exhibition is set to open on the 15th July.
It has been announced that a collection of early works by young Zimbabwean painters will be seen by the public for the first time in almost seventy years.
Titled The Stars are Bright: Zimbabwe through the eyes of its young painters from Cyrene (1940-1947), this free exhibition will open at The Theatre Courtyard Green Rooms in Shoreditch on 15th July.
The Stars Are Bright brings together a collection of extraordinary paintings and drawings created by more than forty young Zimbabwean artists over a seven-year period and captures their unique perspectives on the changing world around them. Artists whose work will be displayed includes: Samuel Songo, Kingsley Sambo and Timothy Dhlodhlo.
Having been preserved in the basement of the former St Michael and All Angels’ Church, a six-minute walk from where they will now be displayed, the works have not been publicly exhibited together since the 1950s.
After being exhibited in London, the artworks will travel to Zimbabwe, where they have not been seen since the 1950’s.
Co-curators of the exhibition Georgia Ward, Chiedza Mhondoro and Jessica Ihejatoh said: “When we began organising The Stars are Bright, which takes its title from a work in the exhibition by Musa Nyahwa dated 1945, we could never have imagined just how much the world would change around us. It is a critical time to share the work of Black artists past and present. We encourage viewers to let their imagination take inspiration from the environment in which the artworks were made. The Cyrene paintings remind us that there is no single story of African Art. This exhibition is an exploration of life, the natural world, spirituality and change, all guided by Zimbabwe’s bright young stars.”
The Stars Are Bright will be on display from the 15th July until the 30th September. Further information and essential pre-booking available at https://www.thestarsarebright.com/