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Visual artist strokes culture through stones

Life & Style
SCULPTOR Given Sitandi says his art is driven by the desire to uphold the Zimbabwean heritage, exploring its history and importance for generations to come.

BY KIMBERLY KARIATI

SCULPTOR Given Sitandi says his art is driven by the desire to uphold the Zimbabwean heritage, exploring its history and importance for generations to come.

In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style, Sitandi said his sculptures were a reminder of aspects of culture that had been forgotten because of westernisation.

“Culture is the inspiration behind my sculptures as my work best describes and represents our culture and heritage. I think art should be exhibited from small communities because that is where many people are. This generation is unfortunate because it is no longer aware of our culture as it has adopted Western ways of doing things,” he said.

“My art seeks to remind young people of their roots, culture, morals and issues such as respect and the way of life of typical Africans.

“I have sculptures like Blood Relatives, which clearly explain the importance of family. We have a lot of relatives that are abroad but because of technology, we communicate with them through various social media platforms depicting how important family is.”

Currently working at Manyame Leisure Art Centre in Chitungwiza, Sitandi said he had always had a passion for art since childhood.

“I started sculpting at a very early age as an inspiration from my uncles who were in this business. My interest for the craft grew stronger and I decided to go to school at the National Art Gallery from 1993 to 1995. We need something that keeps reminding us about culture even if we are living in the modern world,” he said.

“Zimbabweans should be proud of stone sculptures which are well known all over the world. We can say that it is actually a tourist attraction as many come to see and buy these sculptures. We are very popular, for example the Zimbabwean Bird which was made of stone. So sculpting is the basis of everything though some take it for granted. It is very important to embrace and try to understand the message behind this art.”

Sitandi added that there was a need to advertise and exercise creativity in the competitive world of art.

“There is a need to advertise and do more exhibitions for Zimbabweans to take sculpting seriously. I would like to encourage people to visit national art centres so that they could see what artists are doing,” he said.

“I wish to see personal growth and that of the industry as a whole in terms of creativity and innovation. There is so much competition in our industry. Others copy what some are doing not knowing the inspiration behind the idea. Originality is something that some are yet to learn in terms of developing their own ideas.

“It is also my desire that the arts industry becomes an income-generating career. Artists should also be treated with respect and reap the benefits of their work like any other profession that you get pension for even after you retire.”

  • Follow Kimberly on Twitter @lizellekimkari