Damian Manhuwa as born in 1952 in the Rusape district of Zimbabweand was introduced, at an early age, to wood carving by his father,Fabian Manhuwa. However, it was upon seeing work by Joram Mariga thathe was first inspired to try stone carving. In 1970 he joined theNational Gallery's Workshop School under the direction of FrankMcEwen, where he stayed for two years. During this period he was ableto experiment with both wood and stone and it was here that his reallove of sculpting in stone was born.

 

The economic isolation and political pressures caused duringZimbabwe's war of independence forced Manhuwa to temporarily abandonhis sculpting career and rely on work as a bus driver between 1973and 1980. However, he maintained a passion for his art and duringthese years spent much of his free time sculpting. When Independencewas achieved in 1980, he felt able to resign from the bus company andresume his career as a full time sculptor. Since then he has gonefrom strength to strength and is now amongst the respected sculptorsof Zimbabwe. He has exhibited extensively both within Zimbabwe andworldwide, in Europe and more recently America.

 

In discussing his work, Manhuwa explains that the ideas for muchof his sculpture are extremely personal and they drive him to findthe stone to fit his imagery. He tries to work with the originalconcept and ignore any new ideas which may come to mind during theprocess. Sometimes, however, the shapes existing in the stone itselfinfluence hiom and coincide with what he is working towards - theresult is then a combination of intuiton and design. He is stronglyinfluenced by nature and his subjects are drawn from the world aroundhim. Despite extensive exposure to the art of the western world hehas maintained his own distinctive and very Zimbabwean style, guidedby the portrayal of traditional thehes and imagery. Often highlypolished , but occasionally using a combination of surfacetreatments, his sculpture is recognisable for its serene use of lineand graceful composition. He has also been highlighted and commendedfor his fully three dimensional use of the stone - his technique ofresolving subject matter fully in the round often sets his work apartfrom his contemporaries.

 

He was recently selected to spend four months as a resident artistat the Sitka Centre for Art and Ecology in Oregon, USA. He broughtstone from Zimbabwe with him for the residency and conducted seminarsand demonstrations during this time. His sculpture is particularlysuccessful in America and has been included in important exhibitionsin San Francisco, Loveland, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, Cleveland andNew York.