Colleen Madamombe: Zimbabwean Sculptor Remembered

Zimbabwe Wed 14-04-2010

Colleen Madamombe: Zimbabwean Sculptor Remembered
By AfricanColours Correspondent

George Elliot was not a man. Here was a talented female author struggling to break the barriers of the Victorian society that regarded art as a preserve for men.

Her name was Mary Anne Evans but she chose to be known in a man’s name for society to accept her works. And indeed she broke the barriers and became one of the most celebrated writers of her time.

The late Colleen Madamombe

Two decades ago, female artists from Zimbabwe and other parts of Africa still faced a similar predicament. The largely conservative African culture prescribed strict roles for women and those that chose to go beyond boundaries were labeled social perverts or even harlots.

The late sculptress Colleen Madamombe was one of the artists at the mercy of this restrictive traditional norm.
Colleen died last year after a short illness but her works speak volumes about the talent and expertise that this female stone-carver was endowed with.

The National Gallery of Zimbabwe has launched an exhibition in memory of the sculptress who left an indelible mark of ingenuity.

The showcase, which is expected to run until the end of the month, is a collection of Colleen’s pieces and photographs showing her at work or socializing with her family.

Her sculptures are images of women that explore various women’s issue. After rising to fame against the odds, Colleen saw it fit to empower women through her works.

All the pieces on display show women in various moods and chores. There are pieces of women ululating in celebration of their achievements, looking after their daughters, fetching water and working in the fields.

On a piece titled Proud of 'My Dress' Colleen showed how women relate to fashion trends. A woman proudly admires her new dress and shows how attractive she is in the outfit. It shows the virtues of smartness and beauty, which define womanhood.

To show her emphasis on beauty, the sculptor also curved a piece titled 'Am I Ugly' that shows a woman posing confidently and possibly confronting her critics. This piece could be suggesting that beauty is not only described in terms of facial looks and stature.

Happy to be with My Granddaughters is a sculpture that shows a grandmother holding her two smiling granddaughters while on Celebrating Colleen curved women of different ages dancing in celebration.
For Colleen it is in a women’s world where many things happen and she goes on to show the jovial side of this world.

Other pieces on display include Time to Dance, Please Excuse Me, From the Well and Feeling Satisfied while the photos on the walls show Colleen doing her work, posing with her pieces or socializing with her family.

Sculptors, friends and family members who attended the launch of the exhibition described the late sculptor as a talented, jovial and determined woman.

Coming from labour by Colleen Madamombe

^{Coming from Labour | Black Serpetine | 2004 | Image courtesy of davidbarnettgallery.com}

Agnes Nyanhongo who worked and lived with Colleen throughout her career said her late friend had brought a new dimension to the local sculpture industry.

“She was talented artist and good mother who balanced her roles very well. She made a great contribution to our society and our art,” said Nyanhongo.

“She inspired me a lot. She was very jovial and would make people laugh every time. It was such a great experience to work with her. But inside that jovial being was courage and determination.

“She would hammer the stones with all her energy everyday but she never showed any signs of fatigue. She could match any man in the art and everyone concurred that she deserved the honour that she got.”

Filmmaker, Tsitsi Dangarembga, who was the guest of honour at the launch, described Colleen as a heroin who fought discrimination and conquered.

“Colleen started her work at a time when women did not have the courage to take up roles traditionally prescribed to men,” said Dangarembga.

“It was that time when women performers who dared go on stage were labeled harlots while some women put male names to their works in order to be accepted in society. But Colleen broke the bonds and made a mark internationally.

“I am the director of International Images Film Festival and we used her sculptures as festival emblems for about three years until we honoured her with an Ndichiri Kurarama (while I am still alive) award in 2008.

“I had not known much about her before but when we worked together at the festival, I saw the strength and courage in her. She fought and she conquered. May her soul rest in peace.”

My lovely daughters by Colleen Madamombe

^{My lovely daughters | Black Serpentine | Image courtesy of Bonnerdavid.wordpress.com}

Colleen’s husband Fabian and son Kudakwashe concurred that she was a determined woman at work and at home.

Fabian is also a sculptor and worked with his wife since their days at college. Although they separated about three years before her death, Fabian still cherishes her days with Colleen.

“We met at college in the early 1980s and fell in love. After school we got married and continued working together. She was a lovely and hardworking wife but we had our differences that saw us separating,” said Fabian.

“But those personal differences can never dent the great work that she did in the arts industry. She was one of the few women that managed to brave negative labels from the society to take up the hammer and the chisel to express their feelings through stone.

“We will always appreciate the work that she did and we are grateful she opened the way for a younger generation of sculptresses.”

Colleen was born in Harare in 1964 and did her primary and secondary education in the capital before enrolling for a diploma in fine arts at the BAT college.

Initially, she specialized in drawing and painting, which were less laborious genres and tolerable for women. But the zeal to overcome stereotypes saw her shifting from these genres to sculpture.

Within a few years, she was globe trotting exhibiting her works and delivering papers at workshops and art colleges in various countries.

She toured countries like Holland, German, Singapore, Australia and United States and her pieces stand in many galleries worldwide.

With proceeds from her work and that of her husband, the couple managed to build a house in the low-density suburb of Hatefield. They raised and educated their children through art.

Colleen will forever be remembered as the queen of Zimbabwean sculpture.

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