Whenever someone said art, the first thing that came to my mind was a pencil, a paper , paint and brushes. Thanks to my brother Taurai Matereke from the Chitungwiza Arts Center, I was introduced to the art of stone sculpting done using our own natural stones. Stone sculptures are just amazing to say the least. Stone sculpting is making a product out of a mere raw stone with a chisel and hammer as the main tools.
Visiting the Chitungwiza Arts Center made me appreciate and have a deeper understanding of the art of stone sculpting . The moment I saw stones I thought to myself, ok, now this is a man’s job. No woman I thought could be able to sit down for this. To my surprise, there are quite a number of women sculpting full time with a heart full of joy and confidence in everything they do. Gender does not matter in stone sculpting. Women are active participants in the sector dominated by men.
Talking to some of the artists such as Eckel Nyandoro, Paul Masvikeni, and Taurai Masiri, art is all about how you feel and what you want to express. All three artists have different styles and preferred stone type. Sculpting styles defines the artist. Style says a lot about the artist, their beliefs, life experiences and interests. Art is an expression, a refreshing gift to our daily routinious lives.
