Nicholas Mukomberanwa was born in the Buhera district of Zimbabwein 1940. His childhood was spent in a rural environment which wasfundamentally to influence his later life and work ("a wonderfulplace to grow up - surrounded by mountains and rivers with placesfull of trees"). It was at the Serima Mission school where he wasintroduced to the discipline of wood-carving as well as the images offormal worship (Christian) and those of traditional African art.Nicholas to this day, acknowledges the importance of this initialinfluence (" the seed of art was sown in my heart"), but whereasSerima had provided a rigid and secure framework in which to makeearly explorations into artistic realms, the very particularphilosophy followed by Frank McEwen (whom he met in 1962) hung upon abelief in allowing the natural, latent talents within the artist toemerge, with little formal guidance and 'training'. This one elementalone seems, in retrospect, the most important in the refinement ofNicholas' ideas and ambitions.

 

While still working in full-time employment (as a policeman)Nicholas began to carve. He had now found his natural area ofexpression and his work was soon included in important exhibitionsinternationally - to considerable acclaim. Rather than allowing thisearly success to influence his development, Nicholas remained aloof,choosing to question himself rigorously; "I wanted to learn more tohelp me to resolve problems; there was always a question mark in myhead - why is it good - why is it bad?" This is an attitude thatstill guides him today. "There is one thing in my life thatdetermines all else. I want to be a great artist - I want to work soI an express what I feel and think truly myself in my own way." Aconstant searching for new forms of description has resulted in somequite fundamental changes in direction within the work. In the verybeginning his portrayal of West African images as well as scenes fromthe Bible were rounded and very simple. Work from the Sixties shows amuch more stylised, patterned use of geometric as well as clear,curvaceous forms (the ''feeling' behind these works, as opposed toany formal type of influence, has been described by Frank McEwen as"ancient near Eastern"). During the Seventies, using the hard, blackPenhalonga Serpentine, the work became characterised by the confidentuse of sharp lines and planes, and of ambitiously abstracted form.Some of his most powerful sculpture was made in the Eighties and seemto combine elements of earlier discovery - nothing is wasted. Sharplines and hard planes are used with confidence alongside sweepingcurves and deeply etched surfaces. The aspect that so distinguishesthis period of work is an absence of doubt and a conviction that canonly come from genuine investigation and a courageous search, both ofthe internal spirit and of the natural physical world. He is bothknowledgeable and proud of the Shona culture - it provides powerfulmotivation for his work and seems to demand that he strive towardsthe preservation as well as the portrayal of it in his sculpture.

 

Nicholas is considered to be one of Zimbabwe's most gifted andsuccessful sculptors and is highly regarded internationally. His workcan now be seen in the permanent collections of many internationalmuseums.