WHAT IS "ART FARM"

​Art farming is a concept that I created in the year 2015 upon graduating from the fifth edition of the Asiko Art School that was held in Maputo, Mozambique. It was during a one on one conversation with the founder and director of Asiko Art School, Olabisi Silva that I coined the concept of art farming. This came about as a result of her emphasis on the need for artists to explore further the artisanal side of their practice so that they can have a sustainable way of living.
 
The emphasis of art farming is to forge an artistic farming way of life that is based on a scientific organic, experimental and creative approach towards art and farming using all the elements of the environment in a given location. Even though my Art farming project is still in its infancy my goal is to one day have an art farming residency project where I will be helping artists to establish farms as well as gardens in their various studio spaces as sustainable way of living.
 
All in all, it must be noted that farming is indeed an art because it always gives way at every point for the farmer to create from his vision and put into practice what he envisions. 
 
Best of regards,
 
Mapopa Hussein Manda,
 
Freelance visual artist, 
 
A member of the Zambia national visual arts council.