Andy Anderson

Ruth HartleyMpapa Gallery, Visual Arts, Zambia2 Comments

My friend and a friend of Zambian art and artists Andy Anderson, a very kind and good friend died recently. I remember him with great affection and gratitude. He was not only a personal friend but a committed supporter of art in Zambia. As an architect, he had a love of design and the visual arts as anyone who visited […]

The colour of light and the rainbow

Ruth HartleyApartheid, Colonialism, Creativity, Race, Racism, Visual ArtsLeave a Comment

What made the Europeans:- the French, the British and the Germans and the rest so successful at building their empires? What made them so cruel in the execution of their power? Was it that thin epidermal layer that covered their bodies yet provided minimal pigmentation protection? Did their skin colouration make them evil? Did it make them successful? Technology and […]

The Shaping of my Art

Ruth Hartley Storytelling, Apartheid, Art Process, Creativity, m’Other Art, Mpapa Gallery, Poetry, Politics, Southern Africa, Visual Arts, Zambia3 Comments

The world hasn’t stopped turning in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, but most people’s lives have been upended. It’s been a time for self-reflection for me as well as a time of tidying up files and boxes of photos. Some photos record my changing appearance, but the more interesting ones are those that detail how my art has altered and […]

Robert Loder and his gift to Zambian artists of the Triangle International Artists Workshops

Ruth HartleyArt Process, Creativity, Southern Africa, Visual Arts, Zambia6 Comments

Making Art This blog is a tribute to Robert Loder, a great and generous person. Some of the best things that happened to me in Zambia were because I met Robert Loder and he involved me in his passion for setting up artists’ workshops. “Making art is what is important,” Robert said to me one day. I have never forgotten […]