The Artists

Often referred to as Shona Sculpture, the artists who live and work in Zimbabwe are not only from the Shona tribe. There are sculptors from the Chewa and Yao of Malawi, the Mbunda of Angola, from Zambia and Mozambique.

What is common to their work is the expression of the traditional myths and beliefs of their parent cultures through the medium of stone, their great technical and intuitive knowledge of this material and a belief that the stone itself possesses an innate life force.


Gabriel Makosa of the "Famous Five"

Today, sculptors in small, independent family workshops continue to develop this art form and to explore new directions in subject matter and material.

Many of the sculptors have received no formal training but skills are handed down from generation to generation. Only hand tools – hammers, chisels, files and sandpaper – are used.


Michael Nyakusvora

The artists rarely work with a preconceived idea. They do not use sketches or mark the stone but allow the stone to speak and to dictate the form that is held within. Every piece is therefore unique.

Lucky Office

Lucky Office, born in 1976 in Hurungwe District, began sculpting at the age of 19. Initially working with other, experienced sculptors, he started working independently in 1998.

Family tragedies have profoundly influenced much of Office's work, which frequently has themes that relate to human relationship and personal feeling. Through his sculpture Office has discovered an eloquent and lasting means of self-expression.

Office's works have been exhibited in the International Exhibition in the Matobo Gallery in Zimbabwe, and in the USA, Britain, Holland, Belgium and Germany.

The History

The Stone

The Sculpture

Displaying your Sculpture

Buying your Sculpture