Other Forms Of Sculptures In Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe Mon 24-05-2010

Other Forms Of Sculptures In Zimbabwe
By Stephen Garan'anga/AfricanColours.com

A rubbish heap is a good place to gain knowledge. Archaeologists, for example, use the layers of refuse left behind by inhabitants to provide scientifically acceptable evidence of life styles, values and systems. Using found objects as their source material, contemporary artists have become archaeologists, and in Zimbabwe, innumerable artists have become such masterly gatherers of the evidence.

They have seemed to have taken to heart the advice of a great poet and playwright who said "Use what you can." Ignoring commercial pressures, local expectations of 'art' materials and prejudice against 'rubbish', artists sift through random, broken, discarded and displaced bits and pieces, combining them to make new and original holes which have their own logic and beauty.

construction workers -by Adam Madebe

Construction Workers By Adam Madebe

A crop of young and upcoming as well as the established have become connective artists, working in contemporary mode but along an old artistic line which stretches back to the bricolage of classic African artifacts. To conventional materials such as wood, metal and stone they add modern ingredients such as plastic, rubber, glass, cardboard and lot more.

Within each material they have moved away from handcrafting (carving, casting and moulding) the 'pure' material to using cast-off objects already fashioned for various purposes. However, handwork remains the basis of the process by which they connect and bind the very desperate elements. Curious juxtaposition and unexpected combinations result in dense complicated yet simple objects.

The qualities of the materials – colours, dents, edges, texture, volumes and weights - are used directly and the structuring is fully visible. Awkwardness, irregularity, damage, are not concealed.

In a concentrated struggle with the chaotic mass they have to choose from, they select, adjust, and improvise to create assemblages which develop lives of their own and contain all the references and allusions that cling to the parts, bringing them into a jangling harmony.

When modernism in art broke with representational mimesis and the industrial revolution exponentially expanded technology, welded metal assemblage sculpture claimed its position alongside the traditional sculptural techniques of carving and casting opening the door to greater possibilities of subject, style and scale.

A similar occurrence happened in 450 BC when the Greeks mastered the hollow bronze casting that gave them the freedom to increase the size and movement of their figures.

Welded metal sculpture is essentially about freedom – freedom for the imagination and freedom of expression. But any new and revolutionary art form needs institutional and financial support. For Zimbabwean artists that support came in 1972 when the Nation Gallery, sponsored by Rhodox (Rodesia Oxygen) hosted the first "Scrapiron" exhibition.

In the catalogue for that pivotal show Frank McEwen noted that the first scrapiron sculpture recorded was from Dahomey. It depicted the Fon War God Gu. The figure, made of beaten iron, is capped by a humorous "flowered hat" of metal choppers, fish hooks, picks, hoes, shovels and chain.

How fitting that Africa should be the progenitor of scrap metal sculpture; Africa where creativity abounds, humor warms the heart, and recycling is a way of life. Even more fitting is Zimbabwe's position center-stage in the world of metal sculpture. Zimbabwe can probably claim to have more artists per capta than any other nation. Art in Zimbabwe is about survival, communication and the use of whatever materials and methods that are readily available.

The Mzilikazi Art and Craft Centre in Bulawayo and the National Gallery Visusal Arts Studios (formerly the BAT Workshop) in Harare have, for more than three decades been training young artists in the use of welded metal. BOC Zimbabwe (previously Oxyco and Rhodox) have themselves conducted welding classes attended by many artists.

The growth of weld art has been a national collective effort, a shared involvement of artists, institutions and the industry, the results came to fruition in the Zimbabwe heritage exhibitions where at some stage all sculptural awards were awarded to artists who worked with scrape metal.

brain heart,painted wood -by Gerry Dixon

Brain Heart, Painted Wood By Gerry Dixon

Wood carving has had its fair share of sculptors though the accessibility of high quality strong trees suitable for sculpting leaves a lot be desired. Trees like teak, mahogany and ebony are not easy to find whilst at the same time are not allowed to cut by conservationists and state laws. But artists always find ways using other fairly strong ordinary trees.

Taking a particular attention at works by masters of found objects in sculpture, we hastily draw our attention to a series of musical instruments masterpieces by the late Keston Beaton. They do not function in any literal sense but their forms allude to various types of musical instrument: harp, guitar, saxophone etc.

Their shapes and structures play on this allusion while various elements create visual correspondences with sounds. Whether it is a large brass 'horn' mouth, the taut twanging 'strings', the varied resonance boxes, or finger holes and keys, the items evoke individual imaginary noises.

The colours too are visual references to sounds; often a single point of sharp red or flat blue, the glowing brass of Midas, Golden and Bliss, the glint of aluminium or the muted browns of Psalms. More direct aide-memories are also incorporated such as bells, shells, animal horns, spoons and even a cockscrew, all of which bring sounds to mind.

Intriguingly, once the viewer focuses on this 'audible' aspect, every bit and pieces conjures a range of musical equivalents.

Unheard, fictional and therefore more flexible than the real sounds, these mix in the imagination to suggest varying contemporary compositions and echoes of melodies: combinations of traditional, European, urban, folk, modern and African. These objects are musical instruments, never seen before. They evoke a new and very contemporary music.

The human being was at the center of their making. They are human in scale, much related in size to conventional instruments, intimate in detail and fragile in construction. They contain an uneasy tension caused partly by the insecure ties that hold them together and partly by the incongruity of their elements.

They are contradictory; seem ready to fall/fly apart. Their components are connected but not fused, retaining their distinct features. The belonging of the parts to the whole remains tenuous and reminds us of their continuing transience. They can be ready as metaphors for personal identity and, in this, the artist's own biography is a key.

Other ambassadors of found objects in sculpture include Tapfuma Gutsa, Stephen Garan'anga, Charles Kamangwana, Danisile Ncube, Matheus Nyaungwa to mention a few. They are also outstanding in weldart where other greats evolve; greats like Arthur Azevedo, Adam Madebe, Israel Israel, Richard Jack, gred Shaw, Mambakwedza and Chenjerai Mutasa, the late John Gusinyu and Martin Mushonga and many more.

Senior metal master practitioners, Arthur Azevedo works effectively with simplified line, shape and form from the sixties whilst Adam Madebe and Israel Israel who both boast gigantic pieces in public and private spaces across continents in big cities. Many other sculptors in weld-art have had international success putting the country on the world map.

Chrispen Matekenya, Gerry Dixon, Methuseli Tshuma, Zephania Tshuma, Tapfuma Gutsa amongst others are true narrators in wood with international recognition. A troupe of young and upcoming artists is signing up for the sculptural ranks with a variety of three dimensional wall hanging mixed media. This strongly confirms the fact that the work of the majority of Zimbabwean artists is naturally sculptural.

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Your Comments

romeo sabawu: very true about zimbabwean sculpture. many other forms are all over the world now.

fungai tome: sure other sculptures in various mediums deserve more publicity and recognition

kirstin pagels: good writing and i have bought a metal sculpture from Zimbabwe when i was there. there are a lot of good sculptures in other media

STEPHEN GOLDSMITH: Good stuff. Rare to see weldart from Zimbabwe on the net. I have a substantial collection of work gathered from 1990 to 1996 including work by Adam Madebe, Paul Machowani, John Hlatywayo, Voti Thebe, Maxwell Gochera and others. Regrettably I have never publicised these via the net but they could be made available for exhibition.They are held in London.One day the artworld will wake up to the brilliance of contemporary African Art, as long as it is clearly distinguished from African Craft.Anyone is welcome to contact me direct.

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