nora chipaumire

The protagonist of afternow, chipaumire’s first multimedia installation, is Nehanda, the revered female ancestral spirit (mhondoro) of the Shona people native of Zimbabwe and central Mozambique. In the late 19th century, Nehanda’s medium was Charwe Nyakasikana, a revolutionary leader who orchestrated the 1889 revolts against the British colonization of Zimbabwe. Upon capture, she was tried for murder, convicted, and executed.

Projected on the gallery walls are Arias, three video portraits of chipaumire embodying and speaking as this spirit. The installation’s sculptural centerpiece is soundshitsystem, familiar to Wex audiences from the artist’s performances here in 2019. The monumental speaker system plays chipaumire's new audio opera, NEHANDA, a multichapter work that offers a legal and philosophical defense for the first heroes of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle. The libretto is based on the court case The Queen v. Nehanda (1898), between the sovereigns Nehanda mhondoro (“lion spirit”) and Queen Victoria, whose long reign saw the rise and expansion of the British empire across the world. An immersive work of impressive scope, afternow evokes Indigenous African communities’ struggle for liberation in order to challenge such colonial histories and empower new narratives.

Arias (2021) is approximately 5 minutes in length and runs continually throughout the day.

NEHANDA (2021) is composed of 8 audio episodes; each episode ranges from 8 to 50 minutes in length; the total running time is 3 hours 52 minutes.

Beginning at 11 AM, the audio from Arias plays through soundshitsystem, followed by NEHANDA starting at 11:30 AM.

The full audio program loops approximately every 4 hours 30 minutes.

This presentation of afternow is part of Portal For(e) the Ephemeral Passage, an interdisciplinary exhibition curated by jaamil olawale kosoko that amplifies Black feminist voices in contemporary art and performance. Click here to view the complete lineup.

Join us for the Portal For(e) Preview Party on June 9, featuring nora chipaumire’s WiFM ZiFM dub night—with local DJ ASL Princess playing dub reggae–inspired electronic music on soundshitsystem, small bites from Together & Co., and a signature appetizer by Columbus’s own Chef Nikki.