The Sculpture Park in Zimbabwe – Part 1
‘The Sculpture Park in Zimbabwe’ blog follows Oscar’s trip to Africa in winter 2025. Oscar is visiting Shona artists in order to follow and relay a sculpture’s journey from quarry to plinth.
The Sculpture Park’s resident Shona artist, Biggie Chikodzi is hosting Oscar for this trip. Biggie took Oscar to Chiweshe quarry for the purpose of unearthing the beautiful Opal stone; a stone highly valued by Zimbabwean stone sculptors.
Chiweshe Quarry is the home of Opal stone and is situated on the Great Dyke. This linear geological feature stretches from the North to the south of Zimbabwe. Furthermore, this 2.5 billion year old ridge is the world’s longest linear mass of volcanic rock with over 50 minerals and a length of over 500kms. One of the world’s geological wonder’s, the Great Dyke has therefore played a crucial role in country’s artistic heritage.
Artists value Opal stone for its glossy translucent like finish and consistent texture. It is a vibrant green is a hard stone, rated 6.5 on the Mohs hardness scale.
Before After
Opal Stone Mining
All mining is done in traditionally, all by hand! No machinery is used in the process apart from the truck to transport the rocks from the quarry. This allows the locals to obtain the beautiful stones with minimal impact on the surrounding nature and environment.
Shona Sculpting
The Shona stone artists continue to rely on hand tools to carve the stone. These includes chasing hummers, rasp, punches, steel combs and sandpaper. Oscar has been learning from the best including Victor Matafi, Fungai Dodzo and Innocent Nyashenga as they teach him the traditional art of Shona carving and sculpting.
Victor Matafi Fungai Dodzo Innocent Nyashenga
The rocks selected from The Sculpture Park in Zimbabwe trip have been given to some of our favourite artists. These are currently being carved to be put on display at The Sculpture Park this Summer Season.
Stay tuned for more updates!