Laura Chiweshe
told us that
"Sculpture
is probably the most befitting art that
celebrates a true Zimbabwean culture. The name
Zimbabwe
itself is a celebration of stone buildings and
sculpture that the earliest inhabitants of this
country are believed to have been experts in.
Dzimba dzemabwe “houses of stone” is a
celebration of the artistic urge that drew the
forebears of this country to the call of stone
and gives meaning and significance to this
ancient country’s rich history in stonework.
Today,
Zimbabwe’s
stone sculpture has become renowned world wide
for its rare originality and unique artistic
touches. Zimbabwean sculpture has produced
internationally celebrated artists, such the
late Joram Mariga, the late Nicholas
Mukomberanwa and Dominic Benhura, whose impact
on the global arts scene remains unmatched.
Zimbabwe Stone Sculpture
recognises the importance of Shona spirituality
that is at the centre of stonework among the
Shona people. The Great Zimbabwe bird, one of
the early stone carvings by the Shona people
which has been incorporated into the country’s
flag represents a profound and deeply rooted
spiritual meaning of the people we have to know
as ‘Shona people’ today.” The
‘Zimbabwe birds’ specifically are said to be
discovered in the ancient City of Zimbabwe that
dates back to the early 13th century, were set
atop totem poles to represent wisdom and truth.
Since
the beginning of time the Shona tribe have
sculpted in stone, not for money or fame or
recognition, but for the love of their land,
their people and the rich culture in it. It is
an essential means of communicating the deep and
complex nature of the relationships that are
fundamental to life in Zimbabwe, incorporating
all that is seen and much of what is unseen into
stone.
All Sculptures are
for Sale
with thanks to the Iranian Shona Stone Sculpture
Whole Saler Mehrdad Khallaghi
who
bought the Sculptures directly from the
Zimbabwean Artists.
A percentage of the proceeds will be used to
sustain future BRING A DISH Cultural
Celebrations, which take place every last
Saturday of each month.
“This is the birth of a great
national art, capable of speaking about the
whole of Creation, from personal and family to
the world of spirit, soul and self. It is a
thrilling adventure of contemporary art.”
Arts
Review,
England
1990
“All the work is based on simple
– uncluttered form – and it makes a bold and
powerful statement. It’s as uncontrived as you
can get, yet as sophisticated as anything you’ll
find anywhere. Henry’s work is intuitive – he is
sculpting forms which more ‘cerebral’ artists
take years of refinement to arrive at. The
smooth solid texture of the compositions
reflects an easy, natural, unstrained style. All
the forms are valid when viewed purely in an
abstract context. They have gone beyond having
to assume a given identity in order to be
worthwhile. But most of the work is executed
within the framework of a given image – it
succeeds admirably on both levels – the abstract
and the literal. Henry’s is a world – class
talent.”
June Levy, Financial
Gazette,
Rhodesia
1975.
“There is a widespread assumption
today that art must necessarily be
international. …. But against this trend one
finds isolated pockets of resistance, which
suggest that good art can (perhaps must) be a
local affair – the product of a particular place
and culture. And of the one of the most
remarkable in the contemporary world is the last
30 years …. placed beside the dismal stuff so
beloved of the international art bureaucracy –
as they were in the 1990 Biennale – these
African carvings shine out in a desolate world.”
The Sunday Telegraph,
England
1991
“The sculptor is concerned with
the formal and expressive aspects of his medium,
and there is an almost inevitable fusion of idea
and material which is the essence of all good
art… Henry’s diminutive and easily overlooked
‘Hornbill’ – a carving of wonderful simplicity –
is possibly the finest, because of its purity of
shape and the economy of its means.”
Andrew Verster, Daily News,
Durban,
South Africa
1979.
On the occasion of the group
exhibition in Musee Rodin,
Paris
in 1972. “The force of the mystical Shona
spirits emanating from the miraculously magical
carvings, filled the viewers with that
intangible quality through which non-verbal
communication is perceived and reviewed. This
was art in its ultimate dimension.”
Claire Polakoff, African Arts,
Paris,
France
1972.
