Page 109 - Zimbabwe Stone Sculpure 1st Edition
P. 109
ZAChARIAh NJOBO
“His sculpture has its
own distinct rounded curves and tender lines that often emphasize peace and calm. His themes are usually of the living domain such as family and the natural world.”
ZACHARIAH NJOBO
Zachariah has always said he wants to leave a legacy by carving some really large sculptures that cannot easily be lost.
Sculpting is always in his mind and he says: “It is God’s best gift to me.” Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night trying to figure out how to progress. He likes to make each stone talk and tell its story because every stone has its own shape and every time he faces it the stone reveals itself to him.
He was born in 1962 in Birchenough Bridge, the village located next to the famous suspension bridge that crosses the Save River. He is a member of the Ndau tribe, an offshoot of a people from Mozambique. His parents still live close by in the village of Chipinge, which is the heartland of the Ndau. His sister’s husband saw Zachariah working on wood as a youngster and thought he had talent, so took him to the Canon Paterson Art Centre in Harare.
At Canon Paterson Zachariah learnt to sculpt in stone and benefitted from the advice of artists such as Ernest Chiwaridzo. After 10 years there, he decided it was time to move on and he set up his own studio on a large plot in a suburb of Harare. He believes it was one of his best decisions because he could work without any interruption.
The final sanding and polishing of a sculpture made from hard stone is hard work and something that Zachariah excels in and prides himself on because even his fellow artists remark on it. However, he feels he wants to improve. His sculpture has its own distinct rounded curves and tender lines that often emphasize peace and calm. His themes are usually of the living domain such as family and the natural world.
Always positive and full of ideas, it has been fun working with Zachariah. He says we were boys when we started together and have grown to be men. Stone Dynamics Gallery has been selling his work from the very beginning of his career and we have included his sculptures at every group exhibition in Europe and America.
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