Ayanda Fine Art’s first show will be a pop-up exhibition, curated by Fadzai Muchemwa
© Sandra Ndachengendzwa
Ashley Scott, Episodes 5,6,and 9, 2022. Plaster, Glass, Resin, Metal and Paint: 110 x 45 x 30cm, 71 x 45 x 26cm, 140 x 65 x 30cm. Courtesy of the artist & Ayanda Fine Art.
The global art world is accustomed to narratives of artists converting their studios into white cubes and former directors of big corporates diversifying their portfolios by starting art galleries. Their business initiatives rise fast as they have the capital to inject and a wealth of entrepreneurial experience. They are built on solid foundations of networks established in past career ventures. Even their arrival on the global art circuit is noticed and celebrated. They grab all the attention because of their rock star statuses, even though they conservatively stick to the same old modus operandi, hardly offering fresh ideas.
Enter Sandra Ndachengedzwa, the young founder of Ayanda Fine Arts. At age 32, she is the fresh face of the art ecosystem in the city of Düsseldorf, Germany. Emerging from the humanitarian space and with a Fintech background, Ndachengedzwa, born and raised in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city, had a modest beginning compared to where she is currently living. She is part of the African diasporic community, having moved to Germany at 18, where she studied International Relations at Rhein Waal University of Applied Sciences before moving to Tianjin Polytechnic University in Tianjin, China.
Kwaku Owusu Achim, There are no Bad Chiefs, 2022. Oil on Canvas, 154 x 154cm. Courtesy of the artist & Ayanda Fine Art.
Justice Mukheli, All That Binds Us, 2022. Oil on Canvas and Goldleaf, 210 x 180cm. Courtesy of the artist & Ayanda Fine Art.
Deborah Metsch, Homme attend, 2021. Tirage Pigmentaire RC Satiné, Technique : sépia process + Acrylic paints + ink and varnishes, 125 x 90cm. Courtesy of the artist & Ayanda Fine Art.
Emerging just when the world is recovering from the devastating effects of a global pandemic, Ayanda Fine Art is a new venture in a sector where it is likely to face fierce competition from the established galleries which have dominated the scene for years. Its founder knows she will have to reinvent the wheel to shake things up. Interestingly, an optimistic Ndachengedzwa who chooses not to put all her attention on the challenges likely to be faced states:
“I would not say there is a big challenge. At least I try not to focus on that, because my gallery is in its early stages. However, it is exciting to start a gallery here, in Düsseldorf, the city where some of the world’s great artists such as Joseph Beuys, Tony Cragg, Katharina Sieverding and many others lived and made their mark in the artworld.”
Even back in Bulawayo, a young Ndachengedzwa always loved art, with the National Gallery of Zimbabwe branch in the city being one of the places she visited frequently. Her love and passion for art flourished when she moved to Germany. She was exposed to more curated shows, public art spaces, art fairs and biennales, galleries and museums, and other institutions dedicated to promoting art. It is not surprising that she also started collecting art herself.
Propelled by a fiery passion for art, Ndachengedwa’s vision for the next five years is to see Ayanda Fine Art become an established institution with locations both in Germany and Zimbabwe. Built around a sustainable community of artists and audiences, the institution will continue promoting critical dialogic exchanges between artists based in Europe and those rooted on the continent of Africa. The founder hopes to make art accessible to most people who would generally not have access to it.
Tamary Kudita, Rwendo, 2020. Digital photo on Tecco Fine Art Paper, 118 x 89cm. Courtesy of the artist & Ayanda Fine Art.
Obou Gbais, Les ami(e)s d’Instagram, 2021. Acrylic and collage on canvas, 100 x 100cm. Courtesy of Ayanda Fine Art.
Odette Graskie, Delicate Glance I , 2022. Ink on Awagami and Schoellershammer Paper with Thread, 24 x 19 x 5cm. Courtesy of the artist & Ayanda Fine Art.
Ayanda Fine Art’s first show will be a pop-up exhibition due to take place in the beautiful Carlstadt District in Düsseldorf. Titled
An I’m/perfect Balance and curated by Fadzai Muchemwa, the exhibition runs for two months (2.9.2022 – 31.10.22). The participating artists are:
- Ashley Scott (USA)
- Deborah Metsch (France)
- Justice Mukheli (South Africa)
- Kwaku Owusu Achim (Ghana)
- Odette Graskie (South Africa)
- Obou Gbais (Ivory Coast)
- Tamary Kudita (Zimbabwe)
The show will be followed by the opening of Ayanda Fine Arts’ permanent gallery space in Bulawayo in December 2022.
Barnabas Ticha Muvhuti is a Ph.D. candidate in Art History in the NRF SARChI Chair program in Geopolitics and the Arts of Africa, Rhodes University. His Ph.D. research is partly funded by the Rhodes University African Studies Centre through its funding from the DFG, the German Research Foundation under Germany ́s Excellence Strategy, funding number EXC2052/1
