Online Reporter
Online Reporter
BULAWAYO is set to host a major contemporary stone sculpture exhibition celebrating Zimbabwe’s birdlife, with six emerging sculptors from across the country expected to showcase their work at the newly established Kōri Studio in Ilanda.
The exhibition, titled “Birds of Zimbabwe,” will run from 18 to 25 September 2026 at Kōri Studio, in Bulawayo.
The exhibition brings together six Zimbabwean sculptors whose works explore the relationship between the permanence of Zimbabwean stone and the beauty and fragility of the country’s indigenous bird species.
According to organisers, visitors can expect sculptures depicting eagles, owls, hornbills and rollers, alongside triptychs and mixed-media works that explore themes of resistance, renewal and conservation.
The exhibition is being curated by Talent Kapadza, a resident artist at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, under the leadership of Lead Curator Dr T Muganyi of Kōri Studio.
Ward 26 Councillor and Chairperson of the City of Bulawayo’s Finance and Development Committee, Councillor Mpumelelo Moyo, welcomed the exhibition, describing it as an important development for the city’s cultural and creative economy.
“We are grateful as the City of Kings to host such an event which reflects strongly on our rich cultural background and blends it with modernity in an upmarket studio,” said Councillor Moyo.
He said the staging of major cultural programmes outside Harare was welcome, arguing that greater decentralisation of events could contribute to the economic development of Bulawayo.
“In the past such events have been centralised in Harare, but the Second Republic has been rotating such events, which we welcome as a city,” he said.
“By hosting such events in the city, we constantly increase our GDP and per capita spend in the city. It also gives us exposure to learn about the great history of our country.”
Councillor Moyo said the exhibition was also significant because it demonstrated the potential of Bulawayo’s creative sector to contribute to economic activity while creating opportunities for young people.
He welcomed the development of Kōri Studio, describing it as a modern facility offering residents and visitors a new space to experience art, food and leisure.
“Again, we are also pleased to have such places as Kōri Studio being developed in Bulawayo. It’s a place built with such modernity which brings a vast variety of places where people can visit, relax and enjoy fresh meals,” he said.
As Chairperson of the Finance and Development Committee, Moyo said he was encouraged by developments that could create employment opportunities for young people.
“Such places also employ our youths, therefore bringing them out of drugs and substance abuse,” he said.
The exhibition comes at a time when Zimbabwe’s creative industries are increasingly being viewed as an important component of economic development, while calls for greater support and investment in artists and cultural enterprises continue.
The closing ceremony is expected to bring together a distinguished line-up of guests from government, the legal profession and the creative sector.
Deputy Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, Kudakwashe Mnangagwa is expected to attend as Guest of Honour and address the role of the creative sector in driving economic development.
Mr N Sibanda, a legal practitioner at Tanaka Law Chambers, will address intellectual property protection for artists and the wider creative industry.
Councillor Moyo has also been invited to speak on the significance of art in Bulawayo and Zimbabwe.
For the organisers, the exhibition is more than a display of sculpture. It seeks to ask what happens when the enduring nature of Zimbabwean stone is used to capture the fleeting beauty of the country’s birds.
The answer, they argue, speaks to Zimbabwe’s identity — a nation deeply rooted in its heritage while continuing to look towards the future.
The organisers also believe the exhibition provides a rare opportunity to encounter artists at the beginning of their national careers, before their work reaches wider international audiences.
For Bulawayo, the event represents an opportunity to reinforce its longstanding reputation as a centre of culture and creativity.
Moyo said he hoped the exhibition would be part of a broader trend of investment and cooperation aimed at accelerating the city’s development.
“I wish to see more such places opening up in the city and more programmes of cooperation between the City of Bulawayo and the Government,” he said.
“Such cooperation quickens development, and that is what we are longing for as the City of Bulawayo, so as to proudly claim our City of Kings status in a developed and modernised environment.”
