Amos Supuni (1970–December 2008), was a Malawian-born Zimbabwean stone carver, sculptor, and educator.

Biography

Amos Supuni was born in 1970 in Malawi. Supuni's parents moved to

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

when he was two months old. In 1989 Supuni joined a Catholic youth group in

Tafara Mabvuku is a suburb east of Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe. History In 2005, Operation Murambatsvina destroyed slums in Mabvuku and other areas of Harare such as Budiriro and Mbare as well as nearby Chitungwiza. By the mid-2010s, the n ...

, just outside

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

, where he received lessons in sculpture from Tapfuma Gutsa. The group later moved to Silvera House. In 1991, Supuni spent six months in

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

within a cultural exchange program. There he learnt various other techniques such as print making, lino cut and etching. After his return to Zimbabwe he continued work at Silvera House until 1996. Later he became artist-in-residence in

Chapungu Sculpture Park The Chapungu Sculpture Park is a sculpture park in Msasa, Harare, Zimbabwe, which displays the work of Zimbabwean stone sculptors. It was founded in 1970 by Roy Guthrie, who was instrumental in promoting the work of its sculptors worldwide. One ...

. In the fall of 1999, Amos was artist in residence at

Florida Southern College Florida Southern College (Florida Southern, Southern or FSC) is a private college in Lakeland, Florida. In 2019, the student population at FSC consisted of 3,073 students along with 130 full-time faculty members. The college offers 50 undergradu ...

where he created sculptures and taught a stone sculpture class. In 2002, Supuni went to

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

to teach stone carving. Supuni died on December 2008 in

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

, before turning age 40 and he left a widow. He was killed in search of food for his family in neighboring Mozambique.

Work

In his work Supuni refers to contemporary social issues concerning street kids, homelessness and poverty. On the other side, his images show joy, such as the pride of a father holding his newborn child. In addition he uses cultural icons in his work. Supuni made his sculptures mostly in the hard springstone, but also used mixed media, such as a fusion of wood, stone and metal in his work ''Hwata'' (

secretary bird The secretarybird or secretary bird (''Sagittarius serpentarius'') is a large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey. Endemic to Africa, it is usually found in the open grasslands and savanna of the sub-Saharan region. John Frederick Miller described ...

), which was displayed on

Atlanta airport Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 l ...

Used sources

University of Cape Town, Amos Supuni

Atlanta Airport Art Program ZimbabweAlta Community Enrichment
Zimbabwean sculptors Malawian artists Malawian sculptors 1970 births 2008 deaths 20th-century sculptors {{Zimbabwe-sculptor-stub