Creativity on the rocks at Dombo Art Village

Themed “Small Works”, the show is situated up on and in-between unmovable, nature carved granite rocks placed by the Lord long before humans came into existence. Domboramwari Art Village is a visual art centre that was founded by two of the country’s renowned artists, the Mutasa brothers of Chenjerai and Mambakwedza.
Driven by the needy situation to have a place where visual artists could come, stay and work without disturbances by the hectic city life, the brothers bought a huge piece of land in a rocky forest that has some of Zimbabwe’s famous balancing rocks and rock paintings in Epworth in the outskirts of Harare.
Over the years they built their housing structures out of the abundant rocks, mindful of nature, eliminating major alterations to the ecosystem. The centre has played host to international artist-in-residence programmes, workshops and exhibitions, making it a must visit place.
The current exhibition by a cluster of national and international awards winners in various media and a few emerging artists is testimony to the pedigree that the country’s fine art has beyond our borders and overseas. Small works were created to become big for the show by Mambakwedza Mutasa himself, Victor Nyakauru, Jairos Chawaura, Taurai Gondo, Albert Wachi, Johnson Zuze, Allen Kakova, Ellard Alfred, Trymore Chigata, David James, Tanyaradzwa Chihota, Wycliffe Mundopa and Grashium Nyaude.
“The White Horse”, by Victor Nyakauru brings to the fore the mastering of combining totally unrelated materials to create an animal masterpiece that if given the air by the Lord would start galloping. A head of a horse was carved out of an ancient bone, attached to a semi-realistically carved grey serpentine stone body, which will turn black if polished by wax or oil.
The lower limbs of the legs in welded scrap metal are then attached to the main body with 10 millimetre round-bar metal manes. The wire bush tailed little white horse trots on a cubic granite fragment placed high up on a peace of dark brown earth in between rocks.
The space is often referred to as “upstairs” by the permanent resident artists who cleared the area. Other artworks are even balanced on higher and steeper points but accessible without any risks.
The main gallery built of stones and grass thatched like all other huts and toilets for exhibiting pieces for the walls, secures various artists’ work which include construction works by Mambakwedza Mutasa which include “Need for Unity” and “Know Your Pposition”, both made from welded and wired rusted gauze.
The Art Village is spacious showing the beautiful wonders of nature and old rock paintings.
The addition of artists’ creativity has brought a new dimension with endless possibilities that only time will tell what will come of the human activity.
l Stephen Garan’anga is an international fine art practitioner, independent art projects coordinator, chairperson of AfricanColours Artists, executive member Batapata International Artists’ Workshop, critical visual arts writer amongst other things.He can be contacted at [email protected]