Nine Zim sculptors to showcase contemporary works ...

Nine Zim sculptors to showcase contemporary works at Dubai exhibition

Dominic Benhura Archives - AVAC Arts — Dominic Benhura

Zim Now Writer

Nine contemporary Zimbabwean sculptors will be showcasing their contemporary pieces at the Mestaria Gallery in Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, in a new exhibition titled “The Shona Collective,” that opens on January 27.

The artists will be presenting their work as aligned with their broader mission in which to engage with a global audience and share the centuries-old stone sculpting art of the Shona tribe.

The nine are David White, Bywell Sango, Gregory Mutasa, Tawanda Makore, Royal Katiyo, Leonard Sezhendo, Lovemore Bonjisi and Witness Bonjisi along with Dominic Benhura who is considered among the greatest Shona sculptors of his generation.

The Shona Collective Founder, Demitris Petrides, said he believes that every single piece will find its predestined owner.

“I am excited to show the world how the third generation of Shona sculptors have transformed into producing more modern works with new types of stones that can only be found in Zimbabwe.

“While Shona artists demonstrate a striking range of styles and aesthetics, the sculptors all work with the same materials and the hardest varieties of serpentine gemstones such as springstone, fruit serpentine and leopard rock.

“These varieties of serpentine are dense and have extremely fine grains and uniform structure, which make them an ideal raw material for sculpting,” Petrides said.

The Shona art style is a centuries-old stone sculpting tradition of the Shona tribe — which used only a hammer and chisel to carve stone.

These skills and techniques are passed down within families from one generation to the next.