What It’s Like To… Run an Art Gallery in Harare

“What it’s Like To…” is a new series sharing first-hand accounts of life in Africa.

Back in 2008, there were a number of art galleries in Zimbabwe that supported the burgeoning art scene. The National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Gallery Delta, Dzimbanhete, Chapungu, Verandah and Tsoko were all spaces that had been active, some for decades. But the financial crisis that hit that year had everyone looking for ways to survive.

In the middle of all this, Marcus Gora felt the need to set up a gallery that could support emerging artists who were leaving the country as a result — in search of greener pastures, as was the trend — to help them gain more skills, to develop their practice and forge sustainable careers.

“I started being aware of art and the arts in general from a really early age because I had members from my family who were working in the local arts industry and were also traveling and collaborating with the outside world,” shares Gora about the moment he started forming concrete perceptions regarding art.

An image of some of the artworks in exhibition at First Floor Gallery.Photo Courtesy of First Floor Gallery.

His sentiments about art are not always shared across the African continent, and many may not acknowledge the value of art as a tool to emancipate people’s minds, and to contribute meaningfully to the economic output of a nation.

What is most interesting about the First Floor Gallery is the context in which it was founded. It was a year after the global collapse of the financial sector. Many people lost jobs, businesses closed up shop, and the economy nosedived. The country had its national elections that same year. Among the tumultuous events that followed was the ballooning of the inflation rate. According to Al-Jazeera, “government figures show Zimbabwe’s peak inflation rate was 79.6 billion percent month-on-month and 89.7 sextillion percent year-on-year in mid-November 2009.”

Add to that, the skills drainage that the country had been experiencing since the early 2000s meant that the Zimbabwe many had grown up admiring from afar, became but a ghost of its former glory. That a twenty-something-year-old would take a chance by venturing into the relative unknown speaks to the folly of youth, and to the stark clear vision of Gora, and of Valerie Kabov, the co-founder, who is also an art educator and historian.

First Floor gallery was founded by Marcus Gora and Valerie Kabov, an art educator and historian.Photo courtesy of First Floor Gallery.

Gora, who is now 40 years old, and lives and works in between Harare and Mosi-oa-Tunya, shares his story with OkayAfrica, edited for length and clarity, below.

Marcus Gora: I am thrilled to be part of a community of artists and creatives who are determined to have their voices heard and to contribute to art history in spite of the challenges we face as a country and as a continent.

My day-to-day role as director is to develop strategies that enable the gallery to deliver opportunities for artists to excel, create a vibrant space that grows audiences and collectors, and provide opportunities to engage and exchange with the wider art world.

The challenges are many, starting from the availability and quality of art education from primary school to tertiary level, to the many gaps that exist in the entire ecosystem – not enough studios, galleries, institutions, resources, etc. The other challenge has been the attitude of people towards the creative space. A career in the arts is not respected so it is difficult to get support from parents or the corporate world or to get spaces to work, or credit from banks. Other forms of funding also come with strings attached, which to a degree limits freedom of expression.

We have been working hard to overcome a lot of these challenges by engaging with relevant stakeholders, agencies and players, and developing strategies that enable us to hedge against currency instability and the negative perception that people have of Zimbabwe. We are always inviting and hosting people as a way to show the true picture of our country, because while we have our challenges, it is also a place that works in its own way and is full of amazing people and artists and lots of potential.

At present, our gallery is the leading contemporary art gallery in Zimbabwe that has over the past 15 years developed a regular program averaging 10 exhibitions and three artist residencies a year across our main gallery and residency space in Harare, and our pop-up project space in Mosi-oa-Tunya. We also have a strong regional and international presence through collaborations with other galleries and participation in international events and platforms. Our program at the gallery has also expanded to support local creatives with regular events, funding, and support for writers, filmmakers, musicians, fashion designers, etc.

First Floor Gallery has, in the last 15 years, averaged 10 exhibitions and three artist residencies a year.Photo Courtesy of First Floor Gallery.

While we are one of the most visible contemporary art spaces, alongside the National Art Gallery of Zimbabwe which has been participating in the Venice Biennale with a national pavilion since 2011, there are other specialized projects and collectives that are also currently active like Village Unhu, Dzimbanhete, Artillery Gallery, Nhaka Gallery (formerly Gallery Delta), Animal Farm Residency, Sky Salanje projects space, Post Arts Studio, Center for Contemporary Arts, and other niche galleries, fairs and studios.

The only thing that I do not like about the art world is that sometimes competition is unhealthy and people don’t collaborate enough. Still, I feel lucky to be part of this community. I go to many art events in a given year, there are not many gallery owners or directors that are Black or African; I am hoping for more rapid change to allow a true diversity of voices and vision, and also an opening up of the space of discovery so artists far and wide in our countries can also have opportunity.

What we have done differently is to make the gallery a pioneering project that puts artists’ needs and voices at the center of our model. We work both as a non-profit and a for-profit business, with the non-profit side looking at artists’ development needs through our residency program and we also look at educational support, art material support and professional exchange.

First Floor Gallery works as both a non-profit and a for-profit venture.Photo Courtesy of First Floor Gallery.

The for-profit business side engages the market both locally and internationally. The gallery collaborates with other art institutions, and we participate in an average of five art fairs a year. [We are] the first in the country to take part in Art Basel Miami Beach, for example.

We have collaborations with emerging galleries across the African continent. Through that network, we have developed a number of projects, such as the Emerging Painting Invitational that supports emerging artists. We are now working actively to support emerging galleries such as Modzi Arts with skills exchanges and mentorships.

The environment that we operate in Zimbabwe is not easy because we have a very small local market which we are helping to nurture slowly and the economic situation has for a long time been very challenging; a combination of poor performance, high inflation and policy instability resulting in little financial support for the arts.

In our own small way, we are changing the lives of artists, who are now successful and are championing development in their communities and contributing to our shared story. We are also changing how people see art and its potential, changing and challenging perceptions about Zimbabwe as a country, and Africa as a continent.