THE Germany embassy in Harare in partnership with the National Art Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo last week unveiled the German Buddy Bear to showcase the Ndebele culture globally. The Buddy Bear, also known as “Utshomi” (a Ndebele native name for “Buddy”) a project done by Portia Ndlovu, Khumbulani Ncube, Khathazile Mlala and Lackina Zulu…
Farewell Sekuru Shumba Nyamuzihwa Sylvester Mubayi
One of Zimbabwe’s finest artists who belonged to the famous First Generation sculptors, Sylvester Mubayi died on the 13th of December 2022. Confirming the death, National Gallery of Zimbabwe Director Raphael Chikukwa, who also worked with the sculptor as Curator at the Venice Biennale in 2017, expressed shock at the death of the artist. “It…
Black Friday – Cyber Monday Year End Sale!!!
Black Friday – Cyber Monday Year End Sale is back again. This time we are offering a 30% discount on the listed price which includes the cost of packing and freight. Hurry whilst the promotion lasts and add some beautiful and authentic Zimbabwean art to your collection. Please visit our online store to see what…
Edward Chiwawa passes away; Shona sculpture loses a sekuru
It is with great sadness that we have to announce that senior artist Edward Chiwawa passed away last night. There are only a handful of sculptors left in Zimbabwe who are part of that first group to achieve international recognition, the so-called ‘first generation’ of Shona sculptors. That select group has lost one of its…
Zimbabwean female artists tell stories through sculpting
Firmly grasping a hammer and chisel, Simelokuhle Zibengwa, a stone sculptor, effortlessly pounded on a small chunk of rock. White-ish fragments fell off as she carefully hammered through the stone. After a while, and with a great deal of effort, a figure of a rabbit could be seen taking shape. Zibengwa’s works of art are not…
Avac Arts nominated for the LUXlife Global Excellence Awards 2022
Shortlisting has recently begun for the sixth annual Global Excellence Awards, proudly hosted by LUXlife magazine, and we are delighted to be informed that Avac Arts has been identified as a nominee this year. The Global Excellence Awards 2022 are dedicated to recognising the best products, services, and brands across the world who are leading the luxury elite in…
Name your price feature back again!
Due to popular demand we have reintroduced the “Name Your Price” special feature for all artworks being sold online. It is a very simple and easy to use function that allows negotiation between the buyers and artists with regards to the artwork buying price. As a potential client, if you find any artwork(s) of interest…
Call for Entries: 2023 National Arts Merit Awards categories out
By Ano Shumba for Music-in-Africa.net The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) is inviting local artists, production houses, studios, stables, galleries, organisations, associations, groups, and all other stakeholders in the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) to submit entries ahead of the 21st edition of the National Arts Merit Awards (NAMAs) in February 2023. The NAMAs are a product of…
Art centres play pivotal role in nurturing talent
By Kundai Marunya (Arts Correspondent) The process of transferring one’s imagination into something visual and tangible is often challenging that only a few very creative individuals dare to take it on. It takes years of practice, learning from the masters and formulating one’s own distinct style before they finally earn the right to showcase their…
Stone sculptor enthusiast puts nation on the map
By Robert Mukondiwa Victoria Falls-based arts connoisseur and founder and director of Zimbabwe’s leading online sculpture gallery Avac Arts, Terrence Musiyiwa, has scored another first and put the nation on the map as he emphasises the need for both vocational skills and educational prowess. He recently shone after Avac Arts was featured as a leading…
Alms to Word on Fire and Zimbabwe
Dear Brandon Vogt and Bishop Barron, Thank you Brandon and Bishop, if I may be informal, and your colleagues and staff, for bringing me closer to Christ and Catholicism through Word on Fire. Also, the Bible is accessible to me for the first time through the Word on Fire Gospels with its commentary and…
Zimbabwean poet and filmmaker Zibusiso Mpofu has won the 2022 Brunel International African Poetry award
Zimbabwean poet and filmmaker Zibusiso Mpofu has won the title of Brunel International African Poetry 2022 Award. Mpofu was announced as the winner among finalists which included Conor Kogil from South Africa, Asmaa Jama and Edil Hassan from Somalia, Fahad Al-Amoudi from Ethiopia and Adedayo Agarau and Chisom Okafor from Nigeria. The award goes to…
Stone sculptors chisel away behind the scenes
By Kundai Marunya Arts Correspondent Sharp clicks can be heard from a distance, the sound of hammers and chisels as they cut into the stone yielding to the creator’s vision. On another work station, a grinder raves as the masters perfect their different stone works, all synchronising to produce a melody that would easily top…
Barack Obama and family visits Zimbabwe
The Former United States president Barack Obama is in Zimbabwe where he has had a tour in Mutarazi, Manicaland. This has been confirmed by the United States based Moreblessing Bore who facilitated his visit to Zimbabwe. Speaking to Manica Post, Moreblessing said Barack Obama would first have a tour in Mutarazi with his wife and…
AVAC Arts donates 2 tonnes of sculpting raw stones to Chitungwiza Arts center youth and female artists
AVAC Arts has donated 2 tonnes of raw sculpting stones to upcoming resident artists working from the Chitungwiza Arts centre as a pilot project in a bid to promote and improve the overall livelihoods of young sculptors and female artists. The future of stone sculpting does not lie in the hands of the present…
Lifeline for Chitungwiza Arts Centre
BY MOSES MUGUGUNYEKI The Covid-19 pandemic has caused devastating effects on all sectors of the economy and one such is the cultural and creative industry. Since the cultural and creative sector relies mostly on the movement and availability of people, Covid-19 restrictions narrowed business in the sector leading to several jobs being furloughed. In Zimbabwe,…
Benhura’s Inspiring Journey To Stardom
Renowned sculptor Dominic Benhura shrugged off the melancholy of losing a father before he was born to become one of the country’s best artists. He has been in the game for almost four decades now and has seen it all, producing scintillating sculptures and touring the world with his works. Benhura says his life was…
Roki Kicks Off 2022 With Chidzoka Acoustics; video shot at a stone sculpture gallery
URBAN Grooves sensation, Roki has kicked off the new year with an acoustic version of his yesteryear chart topping track, Chidzoka. Chidzoka acoustics music video premiered on Tuesday last week and the sterling visuals have garnered over 100 000 YouTube views a day after release. The acoustics come after he dropped the banger’s remix two weeks…
Chango Chitoko challenges inequalities in communities through Visual Art
…WOMEN AND MEN SHOULD BE TREATED EQUALLY. CHANGO CHITOKO is a mother of three children, two in high school and her first-born waiting to go into College. Chango who grew up in rural Murehwa took inspiration from friends and her grand father who mentored her on wood carving cooking sticks and mortar and pestles. Years…
Black Friday – Cyber Monday Year End Sale!!!
Save 50% off everything as we mark the end of 2021 and the end of the “Name your Price” feature that we introduced at the beginning of the year. This offer runs until the 1st of December 2021. Please visit our online gallery and don’t be left out!