CHRIS SHEPPARD’S EXHIBITION BOWS OUT AT LOFT3 GALLERY IN HIGHLANDS, HARARE

Travel and wildlife photographer Chris Sheppard’s exhibition, “Moments on the Road”, closes today at Loft3 Art Gallery, Hunters Moon Estate, 3 Ridgeway North, Highlands, Harare. The show opened on 12 September and has given Harare audiences three weeks to see his journeys through the lens. The gallery is open until 5pm today, after which the works come down to make way for the next exhibition.

The exhibition is hung against the gallery’s white-painted brick walls, beneath a high ceiling and track lighting that lets each image stand out. Prints range from tall framed works with wide cream mounts to unframed colour prints pinned simply to the wall. A large wooden table at the centre of the room displays further prints laid flat, inviting visitors to lean in for a closer look.

Among the standout pieces is a tall black-and-white landscape of a lone, wind-bent tree on a rocky, watery foreground, dwarfed by a huge, billowing storm cloud. Nearby, a colour print tells a quieter story: a weathered, abandoned-looking building with a flat roof and open doorways, standing in dry golden grass beneath a vivid blue sky streaked with white cloud. The contrast between the brooding monochrome sky and the sunlit colour scene shows the breadth of Sheppard’s eye. Elsewhere in the room, a tree against a dusk sky and a purple-flowering tree add to the range of landscapes and moods gathered along the road.

A highlight of the run was a “Casual Walkabout” held last Wednesday, where Sheppard guided guests through each piece and answered questions. Standing among the works and gesturing towards the prints, he shared the stories behind the photographs while visitors gathered in a relaxed circle to listen. The informal format let them discuss the craft of travel and wildlife photography directly with the artist.

Sheppard has said the process of putting the show together, from curating the pieces to meeting those who came to see them, has been an amazing experience. For him, the personal contact mattered as much as the pictures. He described meeting people, sharing the experiences each image revived and talking photography as a welcome change from the normalcy of everyday life.

Sheppard was due to be at the gallery today and has thanked everyone who took the time to drop by during the exhibition’s run, from art lovers and fellow photographers to friends and curious visitors.

Exhibitions like “Moments on the Road” add to Harare’s growing calendar of visual arts events, giving local photographers a space to present their work to the public. Loft3 Art Gallery has continued to provide that platform, and its next exhibition is set to follow.

This is the final opportunity to see the collection in person. The gallery is open Monday to Friday from 9:30am to 5pm, so anyone hoping to catch the show should visit before closing time today.