OHANNESBURG - Stone Angels, an exclusive exhibition of sculptures by Zimbabwean artists, is now underway in Johannesburg. It includes 75 sculptures by 40 Zimbabweans, which organizers said celebrate women as objects of inspiration, adoration and temptation and as mothers, wives and lovers.
With works inspired by contemporary life as well as traditional and spiritual beliefs, Stone Angels showcases works by a number of Zimbabwes most acclaimed sculptors, including Godfrey Matangira (from whose featured work the exhibition takes its name), Author Manyengedzo, Walter Mariga, Endy Madhevere and Peter Makuwise.
Ending on April 10, these works are on show in an indigenous garden and private home setting at the Rwavhi Fine Art Gallery. Former BBC World Service journalist Carolyn Dempster owns and runs the place.
There is simply nothing like it anywhere else in the world, Dempster said of the exhibition. After 25 years of working as a reporter documenting conflict and poverty in Africa, she decided to switch her focus to celebrating the art and culture of the continent.
I started with stone sculpture from Zimbabwe because it had become my passion. It is a modern art form that on the one hand is so deeply rooted in African spirituality and culture, yet which speaks to you so directly and immediately that you cannot escape its profound impact, explained Dempster.
Zimbabwes name comes from the Shona word dzimbadzamabwe, which means house of stone. It was so named because of the Great Dyke, a 500km-long, 2.5-billion-year-old volcanic ridge of rock running through the area that is abundant in more than 250 ores and serpentines.
The country has a long and illustrious history of stonemasonry, with its tradition of stone carving dating back to the 13th century. Many art critics believe that Zimbabwes stone sculptors are the finest carving by hand in stone in the world today, said the organizers.
Every year, Dempster travels to the Nyanga Mountains in Manicaland and the rural areas of Mashonaland to seek out talented artists and to personally select the sculptures her art gallery imports to South Africa for exhibition, sale and art lease.
She has established close working relationships with some 50 Zimbabwean sculptors, and works with a team of sculptors in Harare to ensure that all the pieces are professionally polished, packed, crated and transported
Post published in: News