Maynard Maenzanise (1964-2006)

Maenzanise has a good deal of life experience to fuel his imaginative carvings. Folklore and Nature provide great inspiration for him and his fellow Shona sculptors whose craft is a relatively recent addition to Zimbabwe’s cultural arts. As a school of art it´s origins date back no further than the 1950s, but this has been time enough to gain a global reputation not just as great African art, but great art in the broadest sense. Gods, spirits, ancestors and totems are popularly interpreted in modern-art stone sculptures whilst animals, birds and reptiles are often stylised to reveal their characters. Deep human emotion and relationships are very powerfullly portrayed in Shona carvings. (…)

Born in Rusape, 90 km from Nyanga, Maenzanise was only a child when he was forced to run away from his war-torn home town. He managed to cross the country on his own and find relatives living some 200km away in Masvingo. There he joined a craft village and settled in to learning a trade. The teachers observed their pupils to assess their artistic talent and creativity. Those poor in art were directed into carpentry and those with artistic ability were taught stone carving and metalwork. Maenzanise was very definitely in the latter group and excelled at his craft. After just two years he was skilled enough to instruct the juniors.

The time had come to earn a living and Maenzanise´s first job was a welder in Harare. This effectively put a blow torch to his creativity and to remedy this he left for a job as a security guard. He carved during the day and worked at night – not an ideal situation, but one which allowed him to practise his art and earn extra money. As his reputation grew he began to sell more and more and he was soon making more money from his sculptures than from his regular job. He finally left to pursue the career he had always dreamed about.

Nyanga in the Eastern Highlands was the perfect place for him to settle into doing what he did best. Conveniently the Eastern Highlands are rich in a variety of stones perfect for carving. Maenzanise often uses the mid-hard Greenstone which is only found in Nyanga. Its mottled muted green is in total contrast to the vibrant bright green of Verdite – a hard and difficult stone but stunning in its beauty. (…) Black Serpentine on the other hand is bold in colour and hard in form and perfect for large abstract creations and animals. (…)

(Textauszug entnommen aus dem Artikel: “Baboons, Ancestors and Spirits“, von Carrie Hampton, in: Skyhost, Vol.4, No.5, pp. 10-13)

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