By Robert Mukondiwa Curator (Zim Art) African stone sculpture from Zimbabwe is often called Shona sculpture, named after the largest tribe engaged in sculpting. Zimbabwe – derived from the Shona word dzimbadzamabwe which means ‘house of stone’ – is the only country on the African continent that has large deposits of stone suitable for sculpting.
Over the past few years, collectors of Shona Sculpture have seen the marked commercialisation of the art, which has left a number of ardent collectors and connoisseurs of the sweet art of taming stone confused. ‘If I am buying the stone for both its beauty and as a worthwhile investment, how do I know the…
HARARE – There is no respite in sight for Zimbabwe’s struggling visual arts sector which has suffered for over a decade due to the decrease in tourist arrivals and diminished demand for art works in Europe and other markets. Just last week Gallery Delta, which was established in Harare by Derek Huggins and his wife…
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LOCAL visual artist, David Chinyama is showcasing a range of his artwork under The Griot Call exhibition, that interrogates the current socio-economic, political and religious struggles Zimbabweans face. The exhibition is being held at Village Unhu in Chisipite, Harare. Officially opened by the Canadanian ambassador to Zimbabwe, Kumar Gupta, the exhibition is the third in…
I started photography in 2008, introduced by Buyaphi Mdledle from Cape Town. I have exhibited in Zimbabwe, South Afrika, Europe and other parts of Afrika. I enjoy collaborating with artists and engaging in workshops. Themes I enjoy tackling include women and society. My work is inspired by emotions and things that I have been through in…
Zimbabwean painter Portia Zvavahera’s work consists of grand, layered paintings of dreamlike, expressionistic images, taking as much from religion as she does from the supernatural. Artists Nontsikelelo Mutiti and Robert Machiri are Zvavahera’s contemporaries; Johannesburg based-Machiri studied at the same institution as Zvavahera, namely the Harare Polytechnic. Mutiti, who lives in New York and is…
The first thing that strikes you at Rwavhi Fine Art in Parkview, Johannesburg, is the huge wood sculpture outside. In the garden there are more sculptures, inviting viewers to pause for appreciation. In Faces at Rwavhi Gallery, an exhibition running until mid-December, 30 Zimbabwean stone sculptors are showing their work. Arthur Manyengedzo is one of…
Gareth Nyandoro is the Financial Times Emerging Voices Award-winner. He has become a well-known name in the local as well as the international contemporary art scene. Gareth Nyandoro, the 2016 Financial Times Oppenheimer Funds Emerging Voices Award-winner, takes us through what it means to win such an outstanding award not just for him, but for Zimbabwean…
At the Gallery The National Gallery of Zimbabwe is for the fourth time set to participate in the Venice Biennale next year. Zimbabwe’s first appearance was in 2011 and then it participated in 2013 and 2015. The National Gallery of Zimbabwe has a mandate to curate exhibitions locally and internationally, and the Venice Biennale is a vibrant…
As Zimbabwe’s oldest and most significant arts event on the arts calendar, the Annual Exhibition was first launched as the National Annual Exhibition in 1958, and indirectly led to the creation of the much acclaimed Zimbabwean Sculpture Movement during the 1960s and 70s. The National Annual Exhibition, later relaunched as the Zimbabwean Heritage in 1986 was…
By Alois Vinga “Happy Independence Day Zimbabwe Today 18 April But you are more than 31 years old You are an ancient land of old, Dating far back to the mighty days The days of MaDzimbabwe The days when animals and man could speak The days when man had no greed in his heart The…
Today, Picasso art-works seem to have transcended time as his works continue to be some of the most sought after pieces in the world by both collectors and investors. A little known fact until recently, was where Picasso garnered some of his inspiration. It may come as a surprise, but Picasso was most certainly influenced…
Gareth Nyandoro won the $40,000 prize in the art category, at the second Financial Times/OppenheimerFunds Emerging Voices awards held in New York on Monday. The FT/OppenheimerFunds Emerging Voices awards recognise the most inventive and creative fiction writers, film-makers and artists from emerging market countries in Africa and the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Peter Birch, who has died aged 85, was for over two generations the foremost developer of artistic talent in Zimbabwe. Along with Dulce Wesseik, he established an art school that he later moved to what had been the Acropole Hotel, a sprawling residence on the edge of Greenwood Park that had belonged to one of…
Sifting through the pages of catalogues from yesteryear, one is most likely to come across the name of an artist of great repute. This artist is Arthur Azevedo; a force that has exhibited here in Zimbabwe and abroad, with his stalwart style of metal sculpture being identifiable for its minimal use of material and maximisation…
Many people are familiar with the term “starving artist.” This stereotype of impoverished artists struggling to get by has been true throughout much of history. Fine art painters and metal sculptors in particular, lead this poverty-stricken crop of artists. Artists, writers and musicians can all fall into this group, which is robbed of the credit…
The FNB Johannesburg Art Fair held last week is one of Africa’s biggest contemporary art fairs and Zimbabwe is always represented at the fair. In previous years the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, via its Chief Curator Raphael Chikukwa, has been invited for the talks programme.
THE decline in business experienced in the country’s tourism sector has negatively impacted on the creative industries as consumption patterns of cultural products continue to fall, Amagugu International Heritage Centre technical consultant, Charlton Tsodzo, has said.
By Robert Mukondiwa The jury has been out on the stone sculpture carved by renowned stone art mason Dominic Benhura and quite frankly, they haven’t demanded too much time to deliberate.