By Beaven Dhliwayo.
Harare, (News of the South) – The National Gallery of Zimbabwe today opens the solo exhibition of award winning, Shepherd Ndudzo’s Ndafunga Dande (yearning for home) sculptures in wood for the first time in the country.
Ndudzo’s work which is highly known in Botswana, South Africa, China and Korea interrogates Diaspora narratives and questions the idea of home and home away from home.
Ndudzo’s ndafunga Dande exhibition
Ndafunga Dande reveals Ndudzo’s natural; yearning for home and the exhibition asks many questions on the idea of home and his craftsmanship of working in wood brings to the viewer the scars and joys of being away from home.
Ndudzo achieves the most impossible with notorious hard wood and exacts movement from his creations leaving the viewer to see that Ndudzo is possessed with a robust sense of humour coupled with eye for detail that brings his contemporary figures life and makes them accessible to all.
Speaking on the sidelines of the exhibition launch to this reporter, Ndudzo said he learn art from his father who did portraits.
“Actually I learned art from my father, Barnabas Ndudzo but he used to do portraits and with me I have developed my own style in wood sculpture.
“I learned through helping my dad. He will tell me do this and do that and I was doing it for fun not knowing it will lead me to where I am today,” said Ndudzo.
Ndudzo said he started going professional in 2000 in Botswana where he is a temporary resident and since he had showcased all over the world including New York, China and Europe.
He said he started preparing for the Zimbabwe exhibition since 2015 and he personally funded the whole show.
“It’s not easy to prepare for the show as it requires a lot of money and since 2015 I was putting pieces for this show aside whilst I was doing other pieces for this show ,” he said.
He also said migration issues affects people whether you have proper documentation you always remind yourself that you are in a foreign land and you yearn for home the reason I called this exhibition Ndafunga Dande (yearning for home).
He urged the young generation not to necessarily pursue art as a profession but should follow their passion be it academic, sport or art.
“Even with me at Advanced Level I studied Mathematics, Biology and Chemistry as I wanted to be a doctor. But you know in life things just happen and they were pointing in this direction (wood sculpture) and I do not regret it,” he said.
Ndudzo in 2012 won the outstanding piece award at the Beijing Biennale and have won several others in Botswana where he currently resides.
The exhibition showcases some sixteen wood sculptures and will run until June 26.
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