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Christian Heinze’s exhibition and workshop in Zimbabwe

Topic: Travels
Periods:
  • 1987 — 1989
Artists:
  • Christian Heinze
In 1987 and 1989, the Potsdam-based artist Christian Heinze travelled to Zimbabwe for various reasons.

In 1987, following an invitation, the Potsdam-based artist Christian Heinze travelled to Harare to sit on an international jury. The aim was to select artists to take part in Zimbabwe’s national art exhibition. Heinze’s stay in Zimbabwe coincided with a solo exhibition at the National Gallery, where he presented works from his current creative phase. The exhibition included, amongst other things, works relating to his home town of Potsdam, as well as pieces created during trips to Lebanon in 1979 and 1981.

During his stay in Harare, he came across a printing press housed in the art college attached to the National Gallery and decided he wanted to return. Two years later, Christian Heinze travelled to the capital once more and took part in a programme that involved temporary workshops by international artists at the art college.

Archival records still allow us today to trace the cultural and political significance attributed to travels and events such as Heinz’s etching course in the GDR, and how they were discussed. For instance, interviews were conducted with the artist afterwards, and a comment by the director of the Zimbabwe National Gallery, Prof. Cyril Rogers, was highlighted in the press: “Through his teaching and his art, Christian Heinze has made an important contribution to the education of our students and left a deep impression on many people” (newspaper article “Potsdam graphic artist trained students in Zimbabwe”, Tribüne Berlin, 22 September 1989)

He was not only a teacher but also a learner in Zimbabwe, for example during a visit to a Shona sculpture workshop – as the artist explained in conversation with Art in Networks. In the interview, Christian Heinze offers an insight into his memories of the planning, the circumstances of the journey, and his encounters and experiences whilst there.

Interview with Christian Heinze in his studio in Potsdam, 13.07.2023. In the background, Christian Heinze: REDEN, 2019, mixed media on canvas, 130 × 60 cm.

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