The sixth Studio Visit of Collective Cares by Naoko Mabon, featuring Benard Taulai Sakala. Naoko visited where Benard has been working on one of his wall painting commissions in Kalumbila District. In their conversation, Benard shared his views on living as an artist in Zambia and the role of his mural paintings amidst a time of environmental injustice.

The fifth Studio Visit of Collective Cares by Luyando Muleya, featuring Serah Chule. Luyando and Naoko were in conversation with artist Serah Chule on “Nguni Uteka” her new video installation for the Mosi oa Tunya Perennial, performed by Maambo.

Second of the Relational series. Luyando was in conversation with artist Bruno Milambo on “whether curation alone can sustain a life in Zambia, and why the story behind an artist may be the real economy”.

Collective Cares's co-leads - Luyando Muleya and Naoko Mabon - had a series of conversations around the works at Mosi oa Tunya Perennial, the first mega-scale international exhibition in Zambia organised by Livingstone Office for Contemporary Art (LoCA). The Perennial runs from September 2026 to March 2027.

In this fourth conversation, co-leads Luyando Muleya and Naoko Mabon reflected on the launch of Mosi oa Tunya Perennial organised by LoCA

First of the new Relational series. Naoko met Lifang Zhang, curator, researcher and one of the Collective Care’ peers, to ask to share her seven years plus of experience in learning contemporary art on the African continent.

In this third conversation event, co-leads Luyando Muleya and Naoko Mabon met Lusaka-based artist Mwaba Chandia. We activated Naoko’s Studio Visit with Mwaba and discussed our reflections.

For the fourth Studio Visit, Naoko Mabon virtually visited Lusaka-based artist Mwaba Chandia. They had a conversation focusing on Mwaba's two recent pieces, which were informed by materials from the natural surroundings of the artist, including seedpods and sheaths of trees.

In this second conversation event of Collective Cares, co-leads Luyando Muleya and Naoko Mabon met Livingstone-based mixed media artist Mutemwa Mukelebai. We activated Luyando’s Studio Visit with Mutemwa and discussed our reflections.

Luyando Muleya travelled to Mutemwa Mukelebai’s workshop in Livingstone. There, Luyando found an artist who doesn’t wait for German factories or foreign degrees. Mutemwa grinds lenses from old TV glass. Built a microscope he calls Ikasuwa - the last standing buffalo in a herd. He’s counted the spots on Jupiter with a homemade telescope.

Naoko Mabon visited Loliwe Phiri, an artist who specialises in humanitarian photography, to speak about Loliwe’s practice. Here is Naoko’s response to her visit and conversation with Loliwe in a form of short writing titled “Desire For Impact, Desire For Positive Change - Loliwe Phiri On Visual-storytelling”.

We are excited to share the first in our series of Studio Visit - a document of a conversation between Luyando Muleya and Lusaka-based artist Isaac Kalambata, held on 1 March 2026. Kalambata’s practice asks urgent questions: What knowledges have we been taught to dismiss as primitive? What might we learn from trees and healers? How do we make visible the absurdity at the heart of white power—the colonial statutes still active, the rituals we’ve naturalised as “democracy” and “Christianity,” the hierarchies that position some beliefs as superior to others?

A virtual gathering to mark the launch of a crowdfunding campaign for our new peer-led curatorial initiative for contemporary arts in Zambia: Collective Cares. We shared and discussed why we believe creating such a space is needed, and what we are planning in this initiative. This is a space for open dialogue and community support.

The seventh Studio Visit by Naoko Mabon features Choma-based artist Obey Hamanenga, who weaves baskets within the tradition of the Gwembe Valley Tonga people, passed down through generations. Naoko explores how Obey makes baskets that carry this tradition forward, and what drew him to an art form that was predominantly a domain of women in pre-colonial Zambia.