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Tazara

This exhibition of paintings, photographs and installations is about the 1860 km long Tazara Railway - that links the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania with the town of Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia's Central Province. The governments of Tanzania, Zambia and China built the railway in the 1970’s to eliminate landlocked Zambia's economic dependence on Rhodesia and South Africa, both of which were at the time ruled by white-minority governments. The railway provided the only route for bulk trade from Zambia's Copperbelt to reach the sea without having to transit white-ruled territories. The spirit of Pan-African socialism among the leaders of Tanzania and Zambia and the symbolism of China's support for newly independent African countries gave rise to Tazara's designation as the "Great Uhuru Railway", Uhuru being the Swahili word for Freedom.The Tazara railway represents the People’s Republic of China’s oldest and historically most important contribution to development in Africa. At its completion, the Tazara was the longest railway in sub-Saharan Africa, and the largest single foreign-aid project undertaken by China at the time, at a construction cost of US $406 million (the equivalent of US $2.62 billion today).The Tazara is sometimes regarded as the greatest engineering effort of its kind since the Second World War. Today the Tazara remains an enduring symbol of the solidarity of the developing world and Chinese support for African independence and development. When Beijing hosted the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the starting point of the torch relay in Tanzania was the grand terminal of the Tazara. The artists developed the concept of the exhibition for a number of reasons. Firstly Richard Ketley comes from a long line of railway engineers and has always been interested in the visual properties of railways and the structures that support them. Secondly Richard’s work explores themes in development and following visits to Zambia and Lusaka he realised the importance of the Tazara line. Thirdly there is a lot of discussion of China’s current contribution to economic development and this exhibition would highlight this legacy back to the era of the anti-apartheid struggle.

Artwork in Tazara

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  1. Inaction leads nowhere by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    Inaction leads nowhere

    Oil on Canvas

    110 x 90 x 5 cm

  2. Grand Roam by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    Grand Roam

    Acrylic and oil on canvas

    142 x 176 x 5 cm

  3. Clickerty clack II by Richard Ketley, Image 4.

    Clickerty clack II

    Acrylic on Canvas

    50 x 120 x 2 cm

  4. The Grand Tazara : III by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    The Grand Tazara : III

    Acrylic on Canvas

    138 x 176 x 4 cm

  5. The Grand Tazara : II by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    The Grand Tazara : II

    Acrylic on Canvas

    138 x 176 x 4 cm

  6. The Grand Tazara by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    The Grand Tazara

    Acrylic on pleather

    138 x 176 x 4 cm

  7. Roam VII by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    Roam VII

    Acrylic on Canvas

    61 x 77 x 5 cm

  8. Roam VI by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    Roam VI

    Acrylic on Canvas

    61 x 77 x 5 cm

  9. Roam V by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    Roam V

    Acrylic on Canvas

    61 x 77 x 5 cm

  10. Roam IV by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    Roam IV

    Acrylic on Canvas

    61 x 77 x 5 cm

  11. Roam III by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    Roam III

    Acrylic on Canvas

    61 x 77 x 5 cm

  12. Roam II by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    Roam II

    Acrylic on Canvas

    61 x 77 x 5 cm

  13. Roam I by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    Roam I

    Acrylic on Canvas

    61 x 77 x 5 cm

  14. Roam : I-IV by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    Roam : I-IV

    Acrylic on Canvas

    61 x 540 x 5 cm

  15. Rust and Freedom by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    Rust and Freedom

    Oil on drafting film

    180 x 160 x 0.1 cm

  16. Paintings of nowhere by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    Paintings of nowhere

    Oil and Oxides on Drafting Film

    102 x 180 x 0.1 cm

  17. Nebulus by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    Nebulus

    Acrylic / Photomontage on Pleatherpia film

    82 x 109 x 5 cm

  18. Junction by Richard Ketley, Image 4.

    Junction

    Acrylic on pleather

    177 x 274 x 5 cm

  19. Selous IV by Richard Ketley, Image 3.

    Selous IV

    Oil on paper

    59 x 84 x 0.1 cm

  20. Selous III by Richard Ketley, Image 5.

    Selous III

    Oil on paper

    59 x 168 x 0.1 cm

  21. Selous II by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    Selous II

    Oil on paper

    59 x 84 x 0.1 cm

  22. Selous I by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    Selous I

    Oil on paper

    59 x 126 x 0.1 cm

  23. Thami's night by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    Thami's night

    Acrylic on pleather

    160 x 180 x 6 cm

  24. The first night by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    The first night

    Acrylic on pleather

    91 x 76 x 5 cm

  25. Tazara: Coupling II by Richard Ketley, Image 1.

    Tazara: Coupling II

    Acrylic on pleather

    84 x 135 x 5 cm