About The Gallery

Mykist is an online gallery exhibiting contemporary artwork from Zimbabwe. At present Steve Pullinger, its initiator, has a small number of sculptures for sale by the late Nicholas Mukomberanwa but in future the gallery will also offer work by other Shona artists. Steve, like many who love and admire the work of the Shona sculptors, only became aware of their existence after visits to Zimbabwe and during the 1990's, when he lived there; he was lucky enough to meet many of the country's finest.

Zimbabwean Stone Sculpture

It is widely accepted that some of the world's finest sculptors come from Zimbabwe. This is quite extraordinary when one considers that, despite there being an abundance of suitable material, there is no discernable tradition of stone carving prior to the 1960's. This first generation of sculptors, like subsequent ones, were inspired by the traditional beliefs that guide their lives. The belief in an ancestral world, whose spirits influence events in the present one, is a theme that can be seen time and again in their work. Family relationships, particularly between mother and child, are also popular subjects and political statements are becoming more common. Although there are dozens of stone types to choose from, the most popular is a hard black serpentine known as "Springstone". The raw stone is rich reddish brown but carving and polishing reveal a black tight-grained interior that shines. Many of the artists see their task as trying to reveal the form hidden within the raw stone and often carve it in a state of trance. The results are awe-inspiring.