John Takawira

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Born in Chegutu 1938 - Died 1989

John Takawira dominated the Zimbabwean Sculpture scene for much of his career.  His untimely death in 1989, at the age of 50, left a void still sorely felt today.  Born in 1938 in Chegutu, he grew up in Nyanga.  Like his brother Bernard, he was greatly influenced by his mother and perhaps more than any of the sons, retained his traditional upbringing and beliefs and portrayed them endlessly in his sculpture.

He was led to sculpture by his uncle, Joram Mariga, at the age of twenty.  Frank McEwen noticed his remarkable talent immediately and he became one of the first members of the Workshop School, with his work being exhibited in the National Gallery form 1963.  When, in 1969, Frank McEwen moved the school to Vukutu, John was to be one of the most important figures within its small community and in such powerfully spiritual surroundings his work found freedom.  Here he was able to lead a simple and purposeful life and his sculptures could develop, free from the pressures of commercialism and unnecessary interruptions.  Images such as his skeletal figures and baboon/man creatures took precedence and came alive.  In 1971, Frank McEwen organized a highly significant exhibition at the Musee Rodin in Paris.  Here, Takawira’s Skeletal Baboon was exhibited and McEwen was to say later, “his vibrant Skeletal Baboon, with its almost pleasant grin, was considered by Charles Ratton, perhaps one of the greatest experts on African art forms, to be the best art to come out of Africa in this century.”  It was this exhibition which set his career in an international context.

His uncompromising nature ensured that his development continued apace, producing ever more startling and innovative work.  He was one of the first sculptors, for example, to experiment with the surface of the stone; combining polished areas with the unkempt, but powerful natural rough skin, or leaving evidence of his working methods in the marks etched onto the stone in moments of hurried insight.  Continually exploring spiritual and personal depths, his sculpture used powerful combinations of forms and , often carving right through the stone, holes and voids played a crucial part in the overall image, representing the all-seeing spiritual ‘eye’ of the piece.  Willowy and fragile in appearance, his smaller works embodied enormous spiritual superiority and strength.  Water Spirit(1983) is a fine example, with its uneven , liquid surface and forlorn expression.  There is little imposition on the part o the artist and the viewer could be forgiven for thinking his role was purely to assist in the emergence of the spirit.  Women play a very visible role in his work-with elongated necks and flowing hair, they look down on the viewer with detached power.  Many seem to have closed eyes as if in contemplation or pain, but the vital role which John so obviously saw for them is clear.  They embody the strong, creative and empowering personality so inspirational in his own mother.

Working in the hardest, darkest Springstone, Takawira sought always to be individual and different from those around hiom.  At times a difficult personality, he was nevertheless uncompromising to the end, and has more works in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe then any other sculptor.