In collaboration with the Namibian Arts Association, StArt Art Gallery is pleased to announce the upcoming
solo exhibition ‘Ehafo’ by Elisia Nghidishange.This exhibition opens officially at 18H30 on 13 September
2022 at the Namibian Arts Association. The launch and the exhibition are open to all.
On 22 September, the artist will be working in the exhibition space, allowing visitors to witness her creative
process in person. That same evening at 18H00, Nghidishange will host a walkabout of the exhibition,
giving the audience an opportunity to hear more about the works from the artist herself. All are invited.
In response to the hardships of the last few years (both economic and health related) Elisia Nghidishange
presents Ehafo (joy) , an exhibition that is intended to celebrate happiness and to bring a smile to the faces
of all who see it. Consisting primarily of sculptures and printmaking, this exhibition is the fourth solo show in
the artist’s career.
“My artworks are meant to portray and reflect different aspects of traditional and contemporary situations. The ideas and concepts I choose to work with are the ones that give me the perfect context in which to use my materials,
making it easier for me to manipulate the medium and give the artworks conceptual meaning, while expressing my deep spiritual feelings, and enjoying the unexpected beauty of every outcome.” (Elisia Nghidishange)
Elisia Nghidishange (b. 1981) was born in Eenhana in northern Namibia. This printmaker, sculptor and mixed media artist graduated from the College of the Arts in Windhoek in 2016. Nghidishange has taken part in various group exhibitions locally, and in 2017 she opened her first solo exhibition titled ‘The Cost of Wealth’ at the Goethe-Institut, Windhoek. Of her artistic process, Nghidishange explains, “I have always used and been inspired by the materials that have been part of my life since childhood.” Working with motifs drawing from the human figure, cow horns, and ostrich eggshell beads, Nghidishange’s work also explores relationships between the pursuit of wealth and the place of tradition in a contemporary and cosmopolitan society, and between gender and tradition in this context.
Nghidishange exhibited as part of StArt Art Gallery’s exhibition ‘Being Here’ in 2017. In 2019, Nghidishange
completed her first artist residency in Rapperswil, Switzerland where she held her second solo exhibition
called ‘The Change Of…. Eendume Movakwahepo Shendjeni’. Nghidishange held her third solo exhibition
‘Insight of Intrusive Women’ at the National Art Gallery of Namibia in July 2020. In 2021, Nghidishange was
awarded 2nd Prize for Sculpture at the 2020 Bank Windhoek Triennial.