The Artistic Journey of Godfrey Kututwa
Godfrey Kututwa, born in 1967 in Nyanga in the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe, has emerged as a powerful voice in Zimbabwean sculpture despite facing significant life challenges. Born almost completely deaf and unable to speak, Kututwa's education was cut short due to both his physical disability and lack of funds to pay school fees. However, this did not prevent him from finding his unique form of expression through stone.
Kututwa's Formative Years
In 1988, at the age of 21, Kututwa began his sculptural journey through a fortuitous encounter with renowned Zimbabwean artist Claud Nyanhongo, one of Zimbabwe's leading first-generation sculptors and father to notable artists Agnes and Marian Nyanhongo. Under Nyanhongo's guidance, Kututwa trained and worked for several years, mostly in Chitungwiza, a high-density village approximately 20 kilometers from Harare, Zimbabwe's capital. This apprenticeship laid the foundation for his distinctive artistic voice.
Artistic Style and Themes
Since establishing himself as an independent artist in 1996, Kututwa has developed a highly expressive sculptural language. His work is characterized by a fragile, self-absorbed aura that conveys harmony to viewers. Human figures in his sculptures typically feature calmly closed eyes, imbuing them with a devout quality. These figures appear concentrated within themselves, seemingly shielding themselves from their surroundings.
Kututwa draws his subject matter primarily from the natural world, creating powerful representations of animals, birds, and human figures. These elements often interact in ways that reflect Shona ancestral spirit beliefs. A recurring theme in his work is the pairing of human figures with guarding animal spirits that accompany and support them emotionally. These figures are frequently portrayed in intimate proximity, creating an almost inseparable unit of human soul and animal companion.
International Recognition
The galleries of Harare quickly recognized Kututwa's talent, allowing him to gain representation on a professional level that secured him international presence. His career has included exhibitions worldwide since 1999, beginning with a showing in Great Britain. European collectors have invited him to lead seminars and participate in exhibitions across the continent. In 2004, he was among the founders of the "Friends Forever" collective, which helped secure his presence and that of his fellow sculptors in the international art market.
Art as Communication for Godfrey Kututwa
For Kututwa, sculpture serves a purpose beyond artistic expression—it is his primary means of communication. As he states, "My work will stand for my voice to the world." Through his art, he conveys his feelings, opinions, values, dreams, and thoughts to a world from which he is partly isolated by his disabilities.
Kututwa succeeds remarkably in using his sculptures to create emotional dialogues, treating all feelings as equally valuable and deliberately avoiding any judgment or evaluation. His pieces invite viewers to witness these inner emotional states while maintaining a respectful distance from the intimate processes they represent. Through stone, Kututwa has found the eloquent voice that nature denied him, creating a powerful legacy of expression that transcends physical limitations.