The Ariko Centre
Ariko “To Exist…to have a presence”
Ariko is to be an African celebration of architectural prowess inspired by the Gouna Plaza in Egypt and the Guggenheim Balboa. It is to be reflective of modern, authentic African lines and symmetry. A fluid cohesion of atriums and closed spaces.
The centre will be committed to the development and advancement of hypothetical and applied visual storytelling through Art in its varied forms: Architecture, Fashion, Photography, Sculpting, painting or sketching. The objective is to develop and hone the skills of Creatives from different backgrounds not only confined to Zimbabwe but across the breadth of the African continent.
Ariko intends to partner with private collectors, publishing houses and private estates & Trusts to establish a library dedicated to curating African literature and film focused on the zeitgeist as expressed through Art, Fashion, Photography and Architecture.
Ariko aims to make visual education accessible to a select and competent group per resident cycle. This will allow visiting lecturers and educators or experts in the various disciplines of Art to fully commit and focus their time and resources afforded by the centre and partners to a select few through a thoughtfully designed and intensive pedagogical residency program. The residency program will include an exchange program with centres across the continent such as The Dikan in Ghana and Black Rock in Senegal where an exposure to various visual mediums through its educational outreach, immersive workshops, online education, studios and events can be explored.
Partnerships
Ariko intends to create synergies with Tech giants, Creative institutions and private collectors across the globe to push an authentic African narrative.
Advocacy & Community
Our purpose is to thwart idleness in the African Child and advance the human right to education through a kaleidoscopic lens that nurtures the ability to use creativity in capturing the mood at different moments in time.
Residency Program
The residency program will allow the Creative the space to their own personal relationship with Zimbabwe by galvanizing the growing artistic and creative energies that exist both in Zimbabwe and on the continent in an increasing measure with the addition of diverse, international, creative possibility.
The Ariko residency will be a multidisciplinary artist-in-residence bi-annual program which will bring together African and international artists to live, receive mentorship and work for at least 3-6 month stays. The program will support new artistic creations through collaborative exchange so as to incite change in the global discourse about Africa.
A scholarship fund through the MamboAnesu Estates Development Trust will finance residency intake for gifted Rural students from not only the Zambezi region but also different parts of Zimbabwe.
Ariko will provide residents with local staff to assist in navigating the Zambezi terrain and a language tutor to assist with English and Tonga–the two primary languages of the program. Residents will additionally be offered a modest stipend for incidentals and additional art supplies.
One of the most unique elements of the program is the opportunity to engage with the Mighty Victoria Falls and its surrounding environ which is home to Africa’s big five (Lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino) and other wild animals spotted during Safari game drives or walks. The Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls is the world’s greatest sheet of falling water and significant worldwide for its exceptional geological and geomorphological features and active land formation processes with outstanding beauty attributed to the falls i.e. the spray, mist and rainbows.
Facilities
The Ariko will include a single-occupancy residency apartment area with adjacent studio spaces for resident artists. The residency living area will be designed to include flexibility to move between common areas and private ones.
Private spaces for residents
Residents will be offered room, board, and individual studio space on site the Centre which is within a private Estate. The single-occupancy apartments will each be three floors, including a living room, a kitchen, a bedroom, and two bathrooms. The kitchens will be furnished with basic cookware. Ariko will offer access to grocery provisions provided on a weekly basis for residents who prefer to prepare their own meals in their apartments. Ariko will offer three meals a day to residents, which will be served to residents in their apartments or at the main dining table.
The individual art studios will be designed to accommodate different artistic mediums, each furnished with tables, light fixtures, and storage space. Ariko will provide staff assistance and a modest stipend for artists to use for obtaining materials necessary to their practice while they are at The Ariko Centre.
Common areas
Ariko will include a number of indoor and outdoor spaces that are shared between the main gallery and the residency quarters. These areas include the main dining area, the library, the gym, the sauna, the swimming pool, and the Estates gardens.
We will encourage opportunities to host open studios, attend cultural events, visit and learn from local artists, and hold screenings in the library. Our staff will work closely with Ariko artists to identify potential collaborations and suggest events that may be of interest to them throughout their stay.
