The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter
DAVID Guy Mutasa’s long and fruitful hurtle as a sculptor has earned him recognition as the godfather of contemporary sculpture in Zimbabwe.
His influence with the chisel, hammer, clay and bronze has been immense with his most decorated artwork being the statue of liberation war icon Mbuya Nehanda that was recently unveiled by President Mnangagwa in Harare.
The sharpening of figures by chiselling marble, modelling clay and casting bronze has earned him both wealth and international acclaim, no wonder he was entrusted to work on the statue of Mbuya Nehanda.
But despite his vast experience spanning 55 years, the job has not been a stroll in the park. His first statue of Mbuya Nehanda set tongues wagging. It got social media raving.
Some felt the statue wasn’t an accurate depiction of the liberation war icon.
Others jokingly said it was a younger version of Mbuya Nehanda.
It was eventually condemned, and Mutasa had to go back to the drawing board for fresh inspiration.
How did he feel about the criticism?
“Well, I didn’t feel anything when it sparked an uproar because that was an artistic impression. Social media critics exaggerated the figure. To me it was not an issue. In fact, it inspired me,” said Mutasa.
Where then did he get the first design of Mbuya Nehanda?
“There was no design besides the pictures of Mbuya Nehanda. I was given an artistic licence to pick one of them. As artists we see things differently, we interpret our surroundings and read a figure from inside out,” he said.
He attributes the new design that was widely accepted to supernatural powers.
It took him about two months to design it using bronze.
“I have been in the arts world for 55 years and the Mbuya Nehanda statue is just one of the works that I have come across and executed with a lot of inspiration and guidance from the spiritual world.
“My experience on the statue is that you are guided with a spirit to come up with an acceptable figure. This statue has taken my profile very high in the art world. I owe it to President Mnangagwa,” he said.
Apart from the Mbuya Nehanda statue, Mutasa is working on a number of projects, among them a “big one” he is keeping a closely guarded secret.
“It is a big project but I do not want people to know about it until the final moment of unveiling. For now I will keep it to myself, but it will be a very good project, and it is coming,” he said.
Mutasa is also a father, farmer and politician.
He is a councillor, council chairperson for Makoni Rural District Council and president of the Association of Rural District Councils of Zimbabwe (ARDCZ).
“I have always regarded myself as an artist because that is the world I have lived since I was a toddler. So I feel no difference between being a sculptor and a father because all of these come to me very naturally. Each one of the roles have space in my life. Being an artist is natural. Being a father is natural and being a politician is a choice.
“I have a lot of responsibilities on my shoulders but I will never give up on art. It is like a lifestyle. I learn a lot from my life and that contributes to my artistic growth,” he said.
Mutasa started clay work at 12 under the tutelage of Job Kekana at St Faith’s Primary School (Madetere) in Rusape.
He acquired his secondary education at St Mary’s Magdalene in Nyanga. He then did a Diploma in Arts and Craft at the Kekana School of Arts in 1972.
In 1985, Mutasa went to England and has worked with fine artists and designers like Peter White in Wales.
He visited famous artworks of the likes of Henry Moore to perfect his bronze casting acumen and skills.
“I had done bronze casting in Zimbabwe with an Italian artist and the little knowledge I had, working in a foundry and interacting with other famous artists in England made me a better artist.
“It was really an eye-opener seeing what the arts world can offer. The exposure taught that we are all the same, we should never look down upon ourselves as blacks. In fact we are better,” said Mutasa.
The artist has done a number of projects across the globe, with the eminent ones being the three metre cross at the World Council of Churches Headquarters in Geneva, the bust of Alfred Furgon in Bristol, the bust of Indian revolutionary Mucus Garvey at the Mucus Garvey Library in Tottenham as well as the Grange Museum.
He also did the artefact of Hector Peterson, a child shot during the Soweto uprising in South Africa, which was commissioned by the friends of the anti-Apartheid Movement in London; as well as the bronze sculpture of Prince Charles of England, which was presented to the then Zimbabwe High Commission in London in 1990 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Zimbabwean Independence.
Mutasa also did the Zimbabwe Bird at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe as well as the farming and mining methods’ depictions at the Central Bank.
He also did a statue of Sekuru Kaguvi for the Parliament of Zimbabwe as well as the sculptures for the late national hero and Zanu PF chairman, Cde Herbert Chitepo, and another national hero, Cde Maurice Nyagumbo.
In 2017, he presented former President Mugabe with a portrait sculptor of his late mother, Mbuya Bona.
Mutasa said the art industry has the potential to grow, adding that the frosty relationship between Zimbabwe and the West is stifling that.
“Tourists are afraid to come to Zimbabwe due to exaggerated adverse reporting by the international media, yet we are one of the safest tourist destinations in the world.
“We have lots of budding artists who need assistance, especially now when the Covid-19 has badly affected us. If Covid-19 is contained and our relationship with the West improves, tourists who buy most of the artefacts will start coming and the industry will rise again.
“We also need a school of arts where I can teach bronze casting. I need to impart my bronze casting knowledge and skills to both budding and established artists,” he said.
Mutasa is a fifth child in a family of 11.
His is married to Joyce and the couple is blessed with four children. His first born Mike is a talented artist and farmer.
