Born in
Malawi in 1970, Amos Supuni is the youngest
sculptor in this exhibition. His parents arrived inZimbabwe
just two months after he was born, his father
was on his way to the gold mines ofSouth Africa
but fortunately was able to find work in
Zimbabwe.
In 1989 after completing his secondary school, Supuni
became involved with a catholic youth group in Tafara,
a high density housing area just outside
Harare. A nun, Sister Catherine was the driving force behind the community-
self help project for unemployed youth, she
was able to get donations in order to buy a load of stone and some
tools. This was the start of the project's workshop, Sister Catherine
enlisted the help of Tapfuma Gutsa,
whose studio was also based in Tafara, to
come and give lessons to the youth group. As the workshop grew and more
people joined, a need grew for new premises. In 1990 the group moved to Silvera
House, a Catholic run skills training centre
a few kilometres away from their original base.
In 1991, Supuni spent six months in
Tanzaniaas part of a cultural exchange program organised by Silvera
House. There he learnt print making, batik, lino
cut and etching techniques whilst holding workshops for stone carving.
It was an experience he thoroughly enjoyed and which greatly broadened
his artistic base. After the six months was over he returned to
Zimbabweand continued to work at Silvera House until
1996, when he was selected to become part of the Chapungu
artists' residency program. He is already into his second year at the
park, the greater security and access to harder, larger stones has seen
his work develop rapidly.
Due to his experiences, Supuni is very
community oriented and when ever he has the chance he returns to Silvera
to give encouragement as well as to teach those who are starting to
sculpt. He realises it is through community based projects youths get
support and a source of income. With unemployment on the rise and life
becoming increasingly difficult especially in the poorer areas
, Supuni finds it refreshing that art
can be a way out of poverty rather than crime and with this in mind he
continues to lend his sup port to worthwhile projects. He sees his work
as "a voice for the voiceless", often tackling contemporary
social issues such as the plight of street kids and the poverty
stricken. There is another side to Supuni's
work, the joys that can be part of the human experience,
this can be seen in The Hope, showing the pleasure and pride of a father
as he holds his new born for the first time.