GUTSA AND BENHURA ARE REOWNED ZIMBABWE SCULPTORS

Tapfuma Gutsa
Tapfuma lived in Murehwa and did his work where he grew up with his family. He is the product of formal Art Education at the city and Guilds school in London 1982-1985.He was born in 1956 and got his first training in 1978-79 at Drifontein Mission before further studies in London.
Tapfuma is visually literate and well acquanted with international sculptural practice in particular the British sculpture.
He appreciate and more critical to his shona culture,heritage and traditional spiritual practices.
Through his works Tapfuma speaks on behalf of well educated group and fellow artists.
His Art tries to reconcile and resolve the difference established through his Education outside Zimbabwe and has relationship to his own culture in a manner in which is consistently innovate and experiments
His work is much of affinity ,large scale,site and mixed media installations made in Europe.
Tapfuma uses stone as part of his larger plan and there is similarity between his work and that of other sculptor in Zimbabwe.
Tapfuma come from a protest generation ,but his protest is not necessarily generational.His belief in spirits that God is the product of man and sometimes custom made acknowledges that he is a necessity.
Through his work Tapfuma tries to remind the shona people of the rationale explanation of things ,rather than the fantastic or super natural.He create sculpture which seems past of nature ,perhaps reminiscent of the British Sculptors Fulton H. and long R.
He made a doom ,wooden bird,blackened and charred,hover over two old tins resembling the cut relic of a vast bird.
Tapfuma made sculptures with British learning ,he cites this affinity with work of Moore,Chadwick and Armitage intimidating only in size creating a naturalistic dialogue between themselves their public and environment.He sees the Artist as a contributive member of the society,an effect of social change and an architect of social planning.

Dominic Benhura
Dominic at the age of ten began to assist his cousin Tapfuma Gutsa in sculpting.He got his training at Chapungu Sculpture Park .He is one of the reowned cutting edge of Zimbabwe sculpture with many exhibitions in Zimbabwe,Australia,Belgium,Holland ,Germany and Americas.
Dominic's subject matter is extensive including plants ,trees ,reptiles ,animals and the whole gambut of human experience.He exposed much talent in portraying human feelings through form rather than facial expression.Through his experimentation ,he created many memorable works including Euphobia Tree.Our Hiv friend ,swing me mama ,the Dance of the Rainbirds and La-sunday.
Dominic's prime motivation is to explore new ideas ,concepts ,techniques and methods to express powerful communication.
The sculptures influenced by nature ,family and relationship with his children .He often combines materials such as steel ,wire and stones to create a beautiful mixed medium which works together in harmony.
The stone is shape for its luminosity and colour and curved to create a striking plant or human form.
He made a bull and a mother holding two children in her hands.As working as an apprentice for his cousin ,first generation Tapfuma Gutsa ,he managed to make sells of his first piece as a professional artist at the age of twelve.
Dominic succeed despite getting resistance from his family.Though his family discourage him he wanted to prove them wrong by gaining a place at the highly competitive Chapungu Sculpture Park and exhibiting his work all over the world.
He is the only sculptor in Zimbabwe to use colour on his works utilising painted textiles and grass on his figures of children to give the viewer a sense of the simple joy and fun of children at play.Dominic got much of his inspiration from things around him and ignores the call to go into museums and Art galleries as he doesn't want to be influenced by other people;s work.

REFERENCE
Celia Winter Irving(1991)Stone scupture in Zimbabwe,Roblaw Publishers,Harare
Zimbabwe weldart competition ,1986 award of merits.
Zimbabwe Heritage Exhibition ,National Gallery of Zimbabwe 1987 ,Award of Distrition.
One Person Exhibition 1987,PG Gallery National Gallery of Zimbabwe.