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Dominic Benhura (born 1968) is a
Biography
1968 births Living people People from Mashonaland West Province 20th-century Zimbabwean sculptors 21st-century Zimbabwean sculptors {{Zimbabwe-sculptor-stub
Dominic Benhura (born 1968) is a 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 ...
an sculptor
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
.
Benhura was born in Murewa
Murewa (also spelled Mrewa or Muhrewa) is a township (and district) in Zimbabwe, 75 kilometers northeast from the capital of Harare, at the road to Tete (Mozambique). It is situated almost 1400 m above sea level. In 2002, the number of inhabitant ...
, to the northeast of arare
Arare may refer to:
* Norimaki Arare or Arale Norimaki, the main character in ''Dr. Slump'' media
*Arare (food)
is a type of bite-sized Japanese cuisine, Japanese Cracker (food), cracker made from glutinous rice and flavored with soy sauce. The ...
His father died before his birth, and he was raised by his mother. As he was an excellent student, it was suggested that he be sent to Salisbury for further studies. His uncle had a home in the suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
of 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 ...
, and Benhura went to live there at the age of ten; he lived with his cousin Tapfuma Gutsa
Tapfuma Gutsa (born 1956) is a Zimbabwean sculptor.
A native of Harare, Gutsa studied sculpture with Cornelius Manguma at the Driefontein Mission School, later becoming the first Zimbabwean recipient of a British Council award. The scholarshi ...
, already a well-known sculptor. Benhura began polishing his cousin's sculptures, but soon began carving himself, making small offcuts before moving onto large stone. He sold his first piece at twelve.
Despite having no formal training, Benhura turned to sculpting full-time upon the finish of his schooling, showing his work at the Chapungu Sculpture Park for the first time in 1987. He joined the resident artist program there in 1990, staying until acquiring a home in Athlone
Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of ...
, Harare, in 1995. Through the program he worked on larger pieces; he also began traveling during this period, attending workshops in Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...
, the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
, and Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. He began to add metal to his stone sculptures.
Benhura is considered to be part of the second generation of Zimbabwean stonecarvers. In 2016, he sculpted a statue of Robert Mugabe
The Statue of Robert Mugabe is a springstone statue of the former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe located at State House in Harare. Made by the Zimbabwean sculptor Dominic Benhura, it was unveiled in 2016 but was subject to criticism and mo ...
.
External links
Biography
1968 births Living people People from Mashonaland West Province 20th-century Zimbabwean sculptors 21st-century Zimbabwean sculptors {{Zimbabwe-sculptor-stub