Artists
53 Works of Art exhibits an exclusive selection of 53 exceptional pieces by African artists and artists inspired by Africa - both renowned and cutting-edge newcomers.
- Sylvester Mubayi
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Sylvester Mubayi is a First Generation artist who has remained unique in his expressions and these themes are so intrinsically unique that he stands alone as the master orator of the Shona spirituals. His love for nature and its relationship with man is as poignant in his art as it is in his narrations of what it means to him to be a Shona sculptor. Mubayi was born in 1942 and he lost his late father in 1943. He began school when he was around the age of twelve years in 1954 at Munyaira School in Marondera. Mubayi's maternal grandfather used to carve and make household implements out of wood and had paid as a form of dowry for his bride, wooden carvings of axes, hammers and spears. Gedion is a member of Mystery in Stone: a collective of premiere Zimbabwean artists.
- Shirley Howells
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Shirley Howells, born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1934. Not until 1986 at age 52 did she decide to begin formal art instruction. She credits her teacher Rita Wilkes for "instilling in me a love of all forms of art and [providing] the encouragement to try and work in all mediums." Critical acclaim and commercial successes follow Shirley who now shares her personal vision of Africa through her art and her knowledge, skills and passion as an artist by teaching the next generation of artists. In art, as in life, she looks for opportunities to grow. "Once one stops stretching, exploring, learning and becomes self-satisfied, the only promise is death of one's art."
- Abe Odedina
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Abe Odedina, artist, architect, and illustrated Man was born in Nigeria in 1960. He is married with two children and lives and works in London/Salvador. He runs a small architectural practice, designing bespoke buildings for discerning clients who want something a little bit different. He sees himself as an artist who makes buildings rather than an architect who paints and he equally divides his time between art and architecture. He paints with acrylics on Plywood and is inspired by the immediacy and sheer vibrancy of popular urban art forms, which are able to flourish outside traditional gallery spaces.
- Peter Ziyo Sibeko
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Peter Sibeko was born in 1940 in Soweto, Johannesburg. He studied at the Methodist Primary School in Orlando, South Africa, where his teacher encouraged him to draw. He received no formal art training. He began by drawing scenes from movies he had seen. Peter uses different and unusual mediums, as he paints in charcoal and watercolour. His most famous and unusual medium is a mixture of oil and mine sand, found on the gold mine dumps in Johannesburg. Sibeko's aims are that black artists should manage their own exhibitions and should be able to live a dignified life, no different from other professions.
- Gedion Nyanhongo
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Born in Mazarura Village, Nyanga, Zimbabwe, as a boy Gideon would spend time trying to assist his father (Claude Nyanhongo) in his workshop; this was despite of the fact that picking up a hammer was extremely difficult for the young Gedion. Instead of working towards finishing his own small pieces Gedion wanted to work with Claude's tools and to finish his father's pieces. Gedion seeks to understand his art first and then secondly, attempts to express what is already active in his mind and soul. Gedion is a member of Mystery in Stone: a collective of premiere Zimbabwean artists.
- Godfrey Siphoni Ndaba
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Godfrey - a professional school teacher who gave up his profession and took up art at Ndaleni Art School in Natal - was born in Swept, Johannesburg. Ndaba works both comfortably in oils, charcoal and pastels, often mixing the mediums. The result is a creative and original art form that explores varied lifestyles and cultures that are part and parcel of every black township in South Africa. Godfrey concentrates mainly on depicting his impressions of his fellow human beings, having a great interest in people. He loves observing people and expressing his feelings through his drawings."Miners are my favourite subjects. I often go underground and watch them work." He is also very fond of sculpture.
- Francis Mugavisi
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Born in 1952 in Guruve, Zimbabwe, Francis worked as a welder and as a self employed carpenter. He started his sculpting career in 1979. Francis, along with his brother Luke, founded the Gavazi Sculpture Community. This community's self sufficiency and artistic freedom has enticed numerous new artists to join their studio. "Many young artists come to our farm to learn how to sculpt. They know that they are welcome here. They see what we have done for ourselves as artists and what we have done for other artists. We teach them not only to be good sculptors, but good businessmen too."
- Luke Mugavazi
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Luke Mugavazi founded The Gavazi Sculptor Community in 1987 with his brother Francis. Luke had acquired some small serpentine claims in the Guruve Communal lands and decided to set up a sculpture garden with a small workshop area. This gave birth to a sculpture education workshop, attracting many young talents whose works have become known throughout the country.
- Joao Donato
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Joao was Born in Maputo (Mozambique) in 1953. After national independence in 1975, he worked in various places in rural areas of Mozambique's country side, linked with development projects especially within small fisheries communities. Also worked as a freelance researcher in social and market studies. In 2002 Joao went to Brazil where started to work with clay under the training of the Brazilian ceramicist Cecy Sato. Joao moved to London in 2005 where he studied ceramics at the City and Islington College. Joao presently lives in London and works as a Ceramics Technician.
- Richard Mteki
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A member of the Shona Ze zurua Tribe, Richard Mteki was born in 1947, in Harare, Zimbabwe. His father was a mechanic and his brother Bora was among the first sculptors whose work astounded the international art world when Shona sculpture first emerged in the late 1959's. Richard's education, as was common at the time, did not extend beyond primary school. He displayed a talent for painting at an early age. As a sculptor he is now more productive and successful than his brother. Many other distinguished visitors and collectors have acquired his work.
- Enock Ilunga
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Born in Zambia in Zambia in 1954 Enocks works represent the interpretation of the artist's environment. He states that in his work the thematic focus is on the unfamiliar "African World". I am an exception in a large family. Ilunga's style and technique were primarily self-taught. He began his artistic career as a visual artist in 1978. He sees his work and the development of his unique artistic conception as a dynamic and continuous process. Not only a painter, Ilunga works as a graphic artist, designer and metal sculptor. "Some people claim that only the African can really appreciate the African culture, but I think a rich culture should be the common property of people all over the world".
- Israel Chikumbirike
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Israel and his twin brother Canaan were born in a rural province in Zimbabwe. Israel's talent is self developed and stemmed from an early interest in wood-carving and clay modelling as a small child.
- Danny Kanyemba
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Danny Kanyemba was born in Harare on 24th July 1973. He started his career as a sculptor in 1987 whilst still at school. In his earlier days, Danny drew a lot of inspiration from great sculptors such as Nesbert Mukomberanwa and Moses Masaya. His great dedication to Shona Cultural Heritage and imagination has made his work of high quality and has earned him the respect of many senior artists, galleries and art collectors. "I like the idea that people appreciate my art and respect it too. They often show it besides Zimbabwe's great sculptors. I love it"
- Bill Murcko
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Born 1946 in Flint, Michigan, at the age of 48, Bill Murcko's journey as a painter began. "I am primarily self-taught," Murcko acknowledges. A trip to Kenya, Africa in 1996 proved transformative. The African landscape and a noble people, called the Maasai, ignited a true passion for painting. On his return to the United States what was once a hobby, was to become a calling. Since 1996, Murcko's work has achieved acclaim and commercial success and has been honored in various exhibitions. He has painted commission portrait work for private collections in the United States and most recently in Thailand.
- Bruce Chidovori
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"Colour is for me a strong emotional tool of expression - I use it to portray Life through expressing my emotions and feelings on the movement and flow of life that is happening around me all the time." Bruce Chidovori has been involved in a number of exhibitions in London; Saatchi on-line gallery (2007) Diverse colours (London April 2008) Artistic journeys north (June 2008) New to DACS (February 2009)
- Greg Tingay
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In 1991 Greg joined the Benedictine monastic community at Buckfast Abbey where he began to make pots under the tuition of Mary Gibson Horrocks (Boys-Adams), one of Bernard Leach's early students at St. Ives. 1n 2007 Greg exhibited with Molly Attrill at Quay Arts Centre. Using the sgraffito method of decoration Greg's work is characterised by intricate abstract patterns which draw inspiration intuitively from his childhood in Africa as well as form other traditions.
- Kofi Allen
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Kofi's work is best described as being 'Iconic' with a social intrigue seeking to reach its audience's. Constantly thriving to challenge negative stereotypes by innovating his own brand of African influenced imagery (Iconography) constructed to providing a creative/social dialogue for a global community, creating images that he insists last beyond the shelf life span.
- Tanzania
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The founder of this form of art, E.S. Tingatinga, was a person from the "makua" tribe of southern Tanzania. Tanzanian art and has been named Tingatinga Art in honour of the pioneer artist who died in 1972 at the age of 35 years. Tingatinga art can be defined as painting on masonite using bicycle paint. The paints are of the enamel type, with an oil-base composition and drying slowly (several hours) to give a shiny finish. They are in liquid form, readily available from ordinary hardware stores in half-litre cans, and they come in a variety of basic and mixed colors. They dissolve and wash in ordinary thinner, petroleum spirit or even kerosene.
- Swaziland
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Gone Rural was registered as a company in 1992 by the late Jenny Thorne to generate sustainable income for women in rural communities across Swaziland. What started as a small local business working with 30 women has evolved into an international company providing income for over 731 rural women and supplying their products to retail outlets across the world. The Gone Rural quest is for never ending improvement in the daily lives of their women artisans through economic empowerment and the upliftment of the thirteen communities that they work with.