TUTANI MUGAVASI
(1975, Guruve, Zimbabwe)
Tutani Mugavasi has widely exhibited his sculptures throughout the world, promoted by international agents and collectors alike. He has an innate, creative and technical talent for sculpting. At as early as fifteen, his father introduced him to Tom Blomfield, an art promoter, from Tengenenge Sculpture Community. Before Mugavasi finished his secondary education, he already had his works displayed in the National Art Gallery of Zimbabwe. He also held a two-man exhibition with his uncle Luke Mgabazi at Ramambo Lodge Gallery.
Tutani Mugavasi’s sculptures often contrasts textures: raw, rough stone, stippled surfaces and polished surfaces. His work is mostly figurative and statuesque, depicting graceful and proud women with elongated lines. Mugavasi mostly works with Springstone, extracted from his mine in Muturoshanga. He also has moved towards abstraction, minimizing his figures down to their rich essence using sophisticated carved lines and highly polished opal stone.
