adminpeople of different races, ethnicities and cultures. He has recently completed a work of art illustrating the writing and compilation of the current Zimbabwean Constitution in which he illustrates the power of art as a tool for recording and disseminating important historic events.
Having experienced the benefits of an art workshop arranged by the city of Berlin entitled “Werkstatt der Kulturen” – where artists from different backgrounds engaged in multi-cultural dialogue by creating art; – Nyaungwa is cognisant of the benefits of mutual co-operation and cross-cultural understanding that can emanate from art and cultural civic exchange programmes.
Nyaungwa who divides his time between his job as a civil servant and multi-media sculptor – says it is important for cities, town councils and other public entities to embrace the idea of having art in their offices. “Socialites and business leaders must lead by example and buy art rather than be biased towards promoting music only,” said the artist.
Known for his contemporary mixed-media sculpture, the Sanganayi Park-based artist has over the years garnered experience in visual arts since 1984.
He studied contemporary stone sculpture under the guidance of the late Damian Manuhwa who was then a well established Zimbabwean stone sculptor. Hailing from Manicaland, Nyaungwa was born on July 1 1966 and started honing his art skills in 1975 for two years at Gurure School. Here, he acquired basic skills in sculpting; beginning by sculpting birds, insects and other animals in wood and moulding kitchen utensils in clay – prior to his attachment to Manuhwa’s studio as an apprentice stone sculptor.
Between the years of 1989 and 1990, the artist began creating multi-media sculpture- following private studies and experimentation with various unconventional media.
He began combining and mixing various indigenous materials such as stone, wood, organic paint, grass, glass, horns, soils, scrap-metals, cement and found objects.
He has taken part in several major exhibitions in Zimbabwe from the First Zimbabwe Heritage Contemporary Visual Arts Exhibitions from 1986 to 2002.
Internationally, he has held group exhibitions with the International Art Museum of Bulgaria, Sofia 1986, the Kunst aus Afrika Gallarie Deco Art ULM, Germany 1998, as well as Springstone International Art Gallery under the auspices of Michelina Andreucci at Malaysia’s G15 Trade Exhibition in 1997.
One of the major highlights of his career is receiving a prize from Aldo Del’Ariccia, the EU Head of Delegation to Zimbabwe, for one of his mixed-media assemblage piece entitled “Discussing and Agreeing on Issues in the New Constitution” in 2010. The artist has received eleven national awards over the years and has works represented in private collections in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Italy, France, Germany, Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Netherlands, Canada, USA, Bulgaria, Spain, Belgium, Egypt, Israel, Japan and Brazil. His aspiration is to bring art closer to the people by employing other modes of display and representation besides conventional Western galleries.
Dr Tony Monda holds a PhD in Art Theory and Philosophy and a DBA (Doctorate of Business Administration) in Post-Colonial Heritage Studies. He is a writer, art critic, practising artist and corporate image consultant.
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