CHAPUNGU SCULPTURE PARK CONTINUES TO NURTURE AND SHOWCASE ZIMBABWE’S ARTISTIC SOUL

The rich, deep tones of serpentine stone still beckon discerning art collectors to Harare, where the Chapungu Sculpture Park stands as a living testament to one of Africa’s most compelling modern art movements: Zimbabwean stone sculpture, also known as Shona sculpture. Founded in 1970 by the late Roy Guthrie, the 20-acre park in Msasa (Doon Estate) remains a vital cultural hub, preserving a heritage that stretches back to the very foundation of the nation.

The artistic lineage of this movement is profound, giving true meaning to Zimbabwe’s name, derived from the Shona phrase Dzimbadzamabwe, or “house of stone.” The ancestors of today’s artists were the master masons of the Great Zimbabwe settlement, an 11th- to 15th-century city whose intricate, mortar-free stone enclosures showcase a millennia-old affinity with the material.

However, the modern Shona sculpture movement, as the world knows it, gained international traction in the mid-20th century. Key to its emergence was Frank McEwen, the founding curator of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, who encouraged a generation of artists to express their deep-seated Shona mythology, folklore, and spirituality. The artists, drawing on the country’s abundant and high-quality serpentine stone from the Great Dyke, quickly established a distinctive style.

As master sculptor Bernard Matemera once described it, the process is one of revelation, not imposition: “The spirits are everywhere in the air, in the rocks… I open the rocks. The fruit is inside.” Themes rooted in ancestral spirits, the importance of family (especially motherhood, which represents the earth itself), and the natural world form the core of the work, connecting the contemporary art to ancient cultural beliefs.

Chapungu Sculpture Park has been an instrumental force in this journey, compiling what is considered the most significant permanent collection of Zimbabwean stone sculpture globally. Here, masterpieces by first-generation legends such as Henry Munyaradzi, Nicholas Mukomberanwa, and Sylvester Mubayi stand in quiet dialogue with the works of the contemporary masters like Dominic Benhura.

Despite the economic challenges that have affected Zimbabwe’s tourism sector, the park is actively sustaining the movement. It continues to host artists-in-residence and is home to several working sculptors who can be seen carving the beautiful springstone, serpentine, and verdite on-site. Furthermore, there are current plans to establish a dedicated museum on the grounds, a much-needed archive to solidify the history of this internationally acclaimed art form locally.

Open seven days a week, Chapungu’s tranquil, open-air gallery remains an essential pilgrimage for collectors and enthusiasts, ensuring that the voice of the stone, and the soul of the Shona people, continues to resonate across the globe.

Image: Chapungu Sculpture Park Harare