Just envisage paintings, crafts, curios and wood carvings of different shapes as well as sizes, bead art, sculpture, furniture, textiles and all exotic pieces of art from Malawi under one roof. Even T-shirts made from a combination of locally made fabrics, zitenje and sandals.
From one end going round to another, from the roof's anchorage down the wall to the floor and the whole space, it is all about nicely made pieces of art. The Pacific Mall car park in Lilongwe's Area 10 was turned into a haven of different arts that left many astonished; wondering if it was indeed Malawi that was bestowed with such creativity. The gallery next, poised grandly, stashed with different relics just like famous art galleries in London, Bonn or Paris.
But this was Tindozd'Afrique, a fairly new art gallery in Lilongwe which organized its first ever art exhibition over the weekend. Under the banner of Malawi Art Comes Alive, the artists indeed came out alive through different painting and all sorts of artistry.
While Tindozd'Afrique adds to the amazing work that other galleries in the likes of La Caverna at Mandala House and Central Africana Bookshop in Blantyre, Lilongwe's Mtendere, Art-house Africa as well as La Galleria, Mua Mission in Dedza, the exhibition did not only bring in a different dimension to the diverse Malawi art, it showed the deeply artistic side of the country.
The art scene in Malawi is not limited to the stylised paintings that you will be tempted to buy on the beaches and streets. Neither is it only about curios that are beautifully lined in the streets of Blantyre and Lilongwe or batiks and drawings that encapsulate some of the wit, striking looks and movements of many Malawians.
The car park was filled with breathtaking pieces of creations. The artists shone as some use deep knowledge and understanding of the African bush to make canvasses that come alive with the wildlife of national parks. There was so much beauty of wildlife expressed in paintings proving how therapeutic art is.
Hard wood carvings, which Malawi has long been famous for, also stood out. Finally, the master carvers are now achieving a recognised status of excellence.
Elaborately carved wooden sculpture is a traditional Malawian form of art.
Carving skills are passed from father to son and the pieces take many forms, from plaques representing Malawian and African scenes to chiefs' chairs. These traditionally feature ornate carvings of dances, animals and day-to-day village life.
From poverty to love, the pieces of art came in different themes, with an overarching idea of Malawi.
About 10 artists showcased at the exhibition with so far, 80 pieces on display in the two days of the event.
The artists included Steve K Phiri, William Chikomo, Blessings Chodola and Rod Chimpele.
The aim of the exhibition was to promote and market proudly Malawian art coming from talented Malawians and Tindozd'Afrique owner Terri Mashanda is happy the goal has been met.
"It was successful for a first exhibition, there was a high turn-out of patronage and the artists were excited. Being an open market exhibition. There were lots of pieces of art that have been sold in the two days.
"A diverse background of people came in, including those who were at the mall for other business. But it was more of an international audience, as such, I would like to encourage Malawians to start appreciating local art," she explained.
The gallery plans to hold another art exhibition, bigger and better, before the rainy season.
While the Malawi art came out alive, there was some disturbing discovery at the end of the exhibition. There were no female artists.
"I don't know what is happening to the female artists, I know there are there but perhaps they just can't come out. As a gallery, we made everything possible so that all artists find a way of showcasing," said Mashanda.
One of the artists, Charles Kamwana of Blantyre, said: "There was so much good work on display. This is the awakening of Malawi art. I would love if we could be having these exhibitions frequently. In that way, more Malawians will start appreciating art more and at the same time, more artists will emerge."