Stone Sculptures from Zimbabwe 6 - 28th October
If you use a search engine for images of ‘Zimbabwe sculpture’, you will mostly find an amazing load of rubbish. The integrity of the initial sculpture movement (dating from the 1950s) has been greatly compromised by mass produced ‘airport art’, formed from less durable stone such as soapstone, which has served to mask the works of the truly individual and creative sculptors. However, discerning collectors of Zimbabwean sculpture and promoters of genuine sculptors have been working tirelessly to bring quality works to international attention. Notable advocates for this sculpture were the late Frank McEwen, Tom Blomefield, Roy Guthrie, and Celia Winter Irving with exhibitions mounted at the Musée Rodin Paris, ICA London, and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Denise Collins, Director of the Castle Gallery, Inverness, has also been involved in a small way since helping to organise a series of exhibitions for CCA Galleries in Cambridge, Oxford, Farnham, and London between 1992-1996. This involved a trip to Harare to meet some of the artists and to choose pieces. Her personal collection includes sculptures by Gedion Nyanhongo and Sylvester Mubayi, a ‘first generation sculptor’, currently showing at the Venice Biennale. Roll forward twenty years, and, by a stroke of luck, Denise met up with Debbie Owen, a collector of art who divides her time between Inverness and Harare. Downsizing her accommodation meant that a good proportion of Debbie’s personal collection had to be found a new home. Most of the large, outdoor pieces are still in need of a good home but a selection of the smaller, indoor pieces will be presented for sale in this exhibition. The undoubted star of the show is Richard Mteki’s ‘Happy Family’, 2001, carved from oak serpentine. The remaining seven pieces are by slightly younger sculptors — Tony Mhonda, Collin Sixpence, Mashford Kanyemba, Newman Chikuni and Samkele Mhlaba. Their work bridges the gap between earlier, more traditional stone carving, which expresses the ancient Shona culture, and contemporary styles, which respond to the international avant-garde. The exhibition can be viewed on the Castle Gallery’s website:
Cover: Holbein’s Dog, oil on panel, 80(h) x729512 80(w) cm E: info@castlegallery.co.uk W: www.castlegallery.co.uk T: 01463
Samkele Mhlaba
Richard Mteki Samkele Mhlaba
Tony Mhonda
Samkele Mhlaba
Mashford Kanyemba
Newman Chikuni
Collin Sixpence
Richard Mteki Happy Family oak serpentine, 34h x 59w x 13d cm Richard Mteki was born in 1947 in Harare, where his older brother, Boira Mteki, was an established sculptor. Richard attended the Nyarutsetso Art Centre established by the late Cannon Paterson, and later joined the Workshop School at the National Gallery in Harare, established by its first director, Frank McEwen. Here, Richard was encouraged to develop his originality and personal expression. Richard’s style is notable for its sharp lines, grasp of geometry, and sense of symmetry. In spite of the powerful lines of his work, there is a sense of peace, calm, and gentleness in the sculptures. His subject matter is mainly centred on the beliefs of the Shona people and, in particular, he feels that a sculptor should cherish the natural environment. He is famous for his bird sculptures and so this piece, ‘Happy Family’, 2001, is quite unusual and collectable. As a “first generation sculptor” he is highly respected and is considered to be one of the leading sculptors working today in Zimbabwe. He was commissioned by the Zimbabwean Government in 1986 to create a piece for the National Sports Stadium and to make works as gifts for visiting dignitaries, such as Rajiv Gandhi in 1984 and the Nigerian President in 1982.
Samkele Mhlaba Lips springstone, 32h x 66w x 15d cm Samkele Mhlaba was born in 1969 at Ziscosteel Mine, near Kwekwe, which is in the Midlands of Zimbabwe. He studied art at Harare Polytechnic from 1990-1993 and then, encouraged by the Mariga family, began sculpting in 1996. He has since established an international career with exhibitions and workshops in Germany, the Netherlands, UK, USA, and South Africa. He was part of a two week workshop organised by the Chapungu Sculpture Park at the Botanical Gardens in Hamburg in 1998, where he worked alongside Joram Mariga, Domenic Benhura, and German sculptors. His close association with these highly acclaimed sculptors, and art events in Germany, have kept him to the forefront of the Zimbabwe sculpture movement and international developments. His witty and playful sculptures, such as ‘Lips’ and ‘Snail’, take their inspiration from everyday situations and observations. His work is distinctive for the way he chooses to enhance and decorate the carved springstone sculptures with brightly coloured durable paint.
Samkele Mhlaba Snail springstone, 15h x 51w x 32d cm The sculptures in this exhibition are all hand carved from stones found in Zimbabwe. The country has a rich variety of stones, many of which come from the Great Dyke, a volcanic ridge which runs from the North to the South of the country. The basic stone type is serpentine which comes in a variety of colours and, because it is a dense stone with a consistent texture, it is favoured by many of the professional sculptors. They shape with rasps, files and chisels and then finish with wet and dry sandpaper before heating the stone to apply a polish. Pieces by these amazing and skilful stone sculptors are testament to the artistic creativity that flourishes in Zimbabwe today, even under difficult economic circumstances. Serpentine - hardness: 3-5 - colours: serpentine is said to come in over 200 colours. Firm, dense and consistent in texture, it is favoured by some artists for smaller works and for the beautiful range of colours that appeals to buyers. Springstone - hardness: 5-7 - colour: black. A hard variety of serpentine favoured by many committed artists for its firmness and consistent texture. Opal Stone - hardness: 3-6 - colours: green, brown, orange, blue, and white. A popular stone selected for its beautiful colours that often contrast well with the outer brown blanket of the stone. It can be harder when quartz particles occur.
Samkele Mhlaba Two Vases springstone, 50h x 30w x 10d & 35h x 30w x 10d cm
Newman Chikuni Harvest Drummer green opal, 36h x 35w x 20d cm Newman Chikuni was born in Chegutu, Zimbabwe in 1956. Whilst at school it became obvious that he had a talent for modelling and carving, but he did not begin his career as a sculptor until 1987. Events in Zimbabwe led him to change direction in 2008 and to farm in his home area as part of ZANU’s policy of returning the land to black Zimbabweans. However, he continues to sculpt, driven by his Christianity and belief in humanity. He has found success as a sculptor of bold, structural, figurative works that express the human condition, and traditional Shona cultural beliefs which hold the community, family and nature in high esteem. His style forms a bridge between the old guard of ‘first generation’ sculptors and contemporary abstract work with influences from Henry Moore. Drums are important to many African cultures and are integral to Shona beliefs, as they form a means of communicating with the ancestors of the spirit world. In ‘Harvest Drummer’, 2000, the drummer holds the drum in a characteristic style to tap with the fingertips and the heel of the hand to welcome in the harvest. It has been sculpted in green opal, and, although green predominates, it has red, orange, blue and brown mottles within it. Opal stone is a favourite of many sculptors as it is not as hard as springstone and some of the other serpentines, but still polishes to a high finish. Newman has exhibited in London, Salzburg and at the National Gallery in Harare.
Tony Mhonda The Diviner chrome serpentine, 48h x 21w x 8d cm Tony Mhonda combines his career as a sculptor with that of an author and visual art consultant. In 1993, whilst still only in his early 20’s, he was deputy head of the National Gallery in Harare. He is one of the few artists to attain an international post-graduate degree in Post Modern Art Theory and Philosophy, and a Doctorate of Business Administration in Arts and Post-Colonial Heritage Studies. He believes that innovation is particularly important during times of economic setbacks. In 1995, Mhonda was elected as the founder president of Association Internationale des Critiques d’Art (AICA) based in Paris, France, and has represented Zimbabwe at various international art symposia in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the United States. Mhonda is able to contribute to critical writings on contemporary art practice in Zimbabwe from a position of knowledge, as he himself is a sculptor. He knows what it is like to hone a meaningful sculpture from a rough piece of hand-mined stone. He is a creator as well as a commentator. ‘The Diviner’, 2000, displays great skill in working with a hard stone, such as chrome serpentine, to create a piece of immense sensitivity.
Mashford Kanyemba Wise Chief chrome serpentine, 54h x 15w x 16d cm Mashford Kanyemba was born in 1972 into a family of sculptors in Guruve – a well-known sculpting community in the north of Harare. He is a protégé of the world famous sculptor, the late Nicholas Mukomberanwa, but Mashford has developed his own style which could be described as ‘African avant-garde’. His work is based on linear, geometric forms and traditional Shona concerns. Many of the characters he depicts are of high social status, such as the ‘Wise Chief’, 1997. This piece has been skilfully hand carved from chrome serpentine.
Collin Sixpence Cockerel opal, 38h x 23w x 13d cm Collin Sixpence was born in 1974 in Zimbabwe to parents from neighbouring Mozambique. Whilst living in Tafara, he was fortunate to have Tapfuma Gutsa and Dominic Benhura as early mentors, as they lived nearby. He served as an assistant to Migeri Padosa and Cosmos Muchenje before becoming an artist in residence at the Chapungu Sculpture Park, Harare, in 1989. Since then he has exhibited his sculptures, which focus on cockerels and chickens, throughout Europe and Asia. He was invited to participate in a workshop as part of Expo 2005 in Nagoya, Japan. His ‘Cockerel’, in opal, succinctly conveys the crowing of the cock as he stretches to give a blast of his vocal cords.
Stone Sculptures from Zimbabwe 6 - 28th October Castle Gallery, 43 Castle St, Inverness, IV2 3DU 01463 729512
www.castlegallery.co.uk