By Martina Kwenda
Ethelartconnect is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with as they have a lot of exhibitions to their name. Their most recent project titled #Mirrorartchallenge a project created by Emilia Rozario, an Italian painter among other things in conjunction with Ethelartconnect Enterprise.
The theme was Reflections of change where people would take selfies with a mirror and make a drawing or a quote on how the pandemic made them feel. Ethelartconnect turned it into a competition for variety so the drawings are now in the process of being judged with a few people to set to win. The winners will compete on a global level and the overall winner will have a chance to see their work published internationally. Rozario intends to create a book based on this so the Winner of the Competition is going to gain a lot.
Ethelartconnect was founded on the precepts of creating a platform for artists to be able to do their work without discrimination. For some galleries you have to be educated to be able to join in but what of those who were denied or those that are not blessed intellectually. This was the thinking of its founder, Ruvimbo Kadyevu when she decided to start this company. So Ethelartconnect has been in the business of promoting the rising artists and helping them will the marketing and promotion of their work through exhibitions and Art classes amongst other things.
Since the company began many art exhibitions are held every Saturday for exposure and the artist would have to do live paintings at Alliance Francaise. Their first big solo exhibition was held there in Harare with a dance crew, live paintings, and various artworks from different artists. Ethelartconnect participated in the Rainbow Towers UN National Youth Summit SDG launch and Ethelart’s owner Ruvimbo Kadyevu’s interview was the only one published. Another big exhibition was at the Kentucky Impact Business Conference in 2019.
In 2020 Ethelartconnect managed to only do three exhibitions before the Covid19 pandemic hit. Artists from Ethelart showcased their work at Zimbabwe’s Arts Festival in February 2020 at the National Arts Centre. The company then attended the University of Zimbabwe`s Art festival in March and on the same day they attended a Musical Concert.
In terms of publicity, the first solo exhibition was published by Zimbabwe’s own Daily News. All these exhibitions were successful because of the sales made and the exposure of some artists who hadn’t had any exhibitions done before. The #Mirrorartchallenge is the best project yet because it became worldwide and Ethelartconnect Enterprise is the next big spot for art lovers. Since these events, there has been a lot of engagement and sponsors for this upcoming new Hotspot.
As of right now, Ethelart continues to encourage their artists and looking for projects so they can be one of the best galleries internationally. The journey is not easy but they hope through team-work, drive and determination they will be among the best within a short period of time. Especially now with the Covid19 pandemic stopping a lot of projects, it’s going to be a struggle but perseverance is key at Ethelartconnect Enterprise.
