Title: 'Together Forever'
Material: Cobalt Stone
Dimensions: 29" x 21"
Artist: Lovemore Bonjisi
Location: Zimbabwe
Description:
Lovemore Bonjisi was born on January 15, 1985 in Ruwa,
Zimbabwe. Although he is the youngest in the Bonjisi dynasty of
stone sculptors, some say he has proven to be the most dynamic
artist by far, thanks to years of grooming under the tutorage of his
brother Lameck. Lameck who was one of Zimbabwe’s most
creative and successful sculptors, passed away in 2003 at the age
of thirty.
Introduced to stone sculpture by Lameck when he was only
twelve years old, Lovemore had been able to complete his primary
education. Unfortunately he was unable to attend high school since
he did not possess a birth certificate. This left him with few options
so he assisted Lameck wherever he could. At first, he was finishing
and polishing Lameck's pieces. As he progressed, Lameck would
give him small raw stones to work on. With these almost
unworkable pieces, Lovemore's sense of creativity was unleashed.
He produced sculptures which by the age of 14 had won the hearts
of many who were dealing with Lameck. They encouraged him to
work on bigger pieces marking the beginning of his career. At 15,
Lovemore received his National Birth Certificate but then his heart
was set on sculpture as a career and he never went back to school.
In the shadow of his brother, Lovemore's work seemed to perplex
many who viewed it. Lameck's belief was a state of mind on the
stones so as to produce amazing sculpture. But to Lovemore, he
claimed, “A sculpture exists already in the stone before you start
working on it. All I do as an artist, I remove the unwanted material
to reveal the sculpture hidden within. It’s like cutting a diamond”.
Lovemore's work is so diverse and dynamic, ranging from traditional
to modern coupled with sharp angles and smooth long necks with
life-like faces.
Lovemore gets roots from the legendary sculptor Nicholas
Mukomberanwa who in turn taught Lameck Bonjisi who then
passed on the knowledge. These two generations of great stone
sculptors have led him to his remarkable destiny. Lovemore loves
working on Cobalt, Springstone and Opalstone and his sculptures
have found homes in galleries and private collections all around the
world.
