Tambika

The Artists

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STONE TRANSFORMATION PROCESS

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“The angel is already in the stone.  It is the job of the artist to remove just enough material to release her.” Michelangelo

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Zimbabwe stone sculpture is a profound, deeply human expression of the African people.  Sculptors say their ancestors’ spirits come in dreams and visions to reveal themselves in images that dwell within the stone.  These ‘Voices in Stone’ can almost be heard through the awe-inspiring sculptures, which tell tales of life in traditional and contemporary works of art.

           Artists in Africa normally use stone that is local to them.  The most common stone used by the Shona in Zimbabwe is Serpentine, but other stone used include Verdite, Opal and Jade.

 When sculpting, the artist is at one with the stone.  He follows the form and begins to carve, without any drawings or sketches to follow.  The stone dictates what can and cannot be created.  Every work is an exploration into the stone with hard physical labour.  Sometimes the stone rebels: impurities, an accidental blow, internal fissures, incredibly hard seams – the stone imposes its will over the artist.

 The art begins with stones quarried from mines in different parts of the country.  Sculptors use non-mechanical tools, often handmade, to craft their pieces, as there is a general shortage of quality tools in Zimbabwe.  Basic hand tools such as simple, handmade chisels, hammers, rasps and sand paper are most common. 

Once the artist has completed the sculpture, the stone is placed into a fire where it is heated.  Finally the sculptors polish their creations with clear wax to bring out the stones’ textures and natural colours.