VICE President Kembo Mohadi arrived here last night for the 60th Venice Biennale, during which Zimbabwe seeks to boost cultural relations with other countries.
He touched down at the Venice Marco Polo Airport shortly after 6pm (7pm in Zimbabwe) and was received by the Chargé d'Affaires at Zimbabwe's Embassy in Italy Caroline Matipira and Chief of Staff in his office Dr Clever Chirume.
VP Mohadi was accompanied by Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Deputy Minister Emily Jesaya and acting Permanent Secretary in his office Mr Milton Ndou.
The Venice Biennale, better known as "the Olympics of the art world", opened on April 20 and closes on November 24.
It is arguably the biggest art biennale in the world, which celebrates art and architecture.
The biennale also explores themes of politics and contemporary cultural and social issues through performance, sculpture and installations.
It has attracted 333 artists and is running under the theme: "Foreigners everywhere."
VP Mohadi's visit is critical in that it reaffirms the important role being played by the country's talented artists who are displaying world-class artefacts here, which have turned the heads of world art collectors.
Some of the world art collectors have already been buying the artefacts made by Zimbabweans, while others have promised to visit the country to buy.
Visits by world art collectors are encouraged by tourism businesses, who say they have a multi-pronged benefit including generating foreign currency, creating more employment in the arts sector and promoting local tourist attraction centres.
Once the collectors come and are impressed by local tourism, the world art collectors become important influencers, who then help in marketing Zimbabwe to other potential tourists and art collectors.
Chargé d'Affaires Matipira said the 60th Venice Biennale is useful as it helps to raise awareness among youths, some who may be presently unemployed, but talented and others who are already trying to find their path in the arts sector.
Such youths, she said, should make use of the National Art Gallery, which is always ready to link them with the international community of artists so they can become experts in their chosen fields.
On its part, the Government has invested to support artists so they realise incomes and help entrench cultural diplomacy being spearheaded by the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa.
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Under the policy of "friend to all, enemy to none", the Second Republic is re-engaging and engaging all countries of the world and is using not only economic diplomacy, but cultural and sport diplomacy among other measures.
Chargé d'Affaires Matipira said that if art was promoted to a level where many youths take up the trade, more jobs would be created for the benefit of the country.
"I want to just appreciate our highly-talented artists for the work they are doing. It's really a world-class exhibition which is putting Zimbabwe on the international map in terms of art and culture," said Ambassador Matipira.
The Zimbabwe Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, which is situated in Santa Maria della Pieta, harnesses the concept of "kududunuka", an exploration of ideas of the unravelling of the world.
Commissioner for the pavilion Mr Raphael Chikukwa, who is also the National Art Gallery of Zimbabwe executive director, is happy with how the exhibition has been going so far.
Zimbabwe has a pavilion where it is showcasing the works of Gillian Rosselli, Troy Makaza, Sekai Macheche, Moffat Takadiwa, Victor Nyakauru and Komborerai Chapfika.
Zimbabwe's pavilion is popular with art enthusiasts and more expected to visit and have an appreciation of the exhibitions, some of which speak to the country's history and its rich mineral wealth and the challenges of climate change.
