Joseph Muzondo was born in 1953 and is considered to be one of themajor talents of the Second Generation. Typical of may of theseartists is the quest for original techniques and materials with whichto describe contemporary issues. Joseph Muzondo displays thisnew-found freedom as he manipulates the traditional material of stoneto startling effect, sometimes combining it with other media such assteel or found objects.

 

He left school relatively early but in 1981 joined the B.A.T.Workshops at the National Gallery in Harare and remained there forthree years, studying a wide range of disciplines such as drawing,painting and sculpture. He then had the unusual opportunity ofoverseas training - textile design in Tanzania and etching anddrawing skills in Austria. During the war of Independence inZimbabwe, however, Muzondo enlisted as a 'freedom fighter' andexperiences from these difficult years colour and inspire his worktoday. If any one quality of his sculpture can be said to haveoriginated from such times, it might be that his work is of afractured, often temporary nature. The image of Zimbabwean stonesculpture is of skilfully carved, large upright pieces of stone -gentle on the eye and slow to reveal their meaning. Muzondo's workshatters that conception.

 

With works such as Desperate Mother (1990) and Nuclear Catastrophe(1986) the viewer is presented with an immediate image - of disarrayand pain. Instead of standing upright and inviting examination in theround, these pieces have a graphic, two-dimensional quality as theyare constructed to lie on the ground. Desperate Mother is compiledfrom four, separately carved pieces of stone; each treateddifferently. It portrays a mother lying on her side, breast-feedingher small child. Her torso and legs (two pieces) are roughly carvedwith small areas that are more finished and detailed. Her head, as aseparate piece, and the child are perhaps the most resolved aspectsof the sculpture, but still simply described. The solidity andposition of the piece tells poignantly of the mother's lonelystruggle with her infant - it is an impression that will weigh heavyon the viewer's heart.

 

Nuclear Catastrophe, with its obvious embodiment of the artist'sexperience of war, depicts in no gentle manner the hostility of man.Once more a construction, it comprises eight parts and employs stone,wood, steel and glass. Roughly hewn and only suggested in places theviewer is left to piece together the suggestions: a body in pieces,pierced and horribly damaged. Despair emanates from the sculpture andthe cold, weighty stones are a fitting medium with which to describesuch a concept. Other works such as Unity (1988) and Bringing The SadNews (1990), however, speak of comfort and closeness and a sharing ofhuman emotions.

 

The work of Joseph Muzondo is born out of great integrity - noidea or method is ever repeated for similar effect. As well as beinga highly innovative and challenging sculptor, Joseph Muzondo is alsoa very competent draughtsman and printer. These graphic works havethe same raw power as his sculpture. An artist in the widest sense,Muzondo serves as a compelling example to others of differentdisciplines, all over the world.