Standing proudly at its new location between the giraffes, zebras and elephants is a massive black rhinoceros. It weighs over three tonnes, has travelled around 12,600 km, and is made from black serpentine stone. The rhinoceros is one of around 30 animal sculptures currently on display at Tierpark Berlin in an exhibition of unique hand-hewn sculptures from Zimbabwe.
The SHONA ART exhibition of contemporary African sculpture has been organised in cooperation with gallery owner Bastian Müller-Mühlinghaus, and will be on display at the Tierpark until October 2018. The art form is named after the culture that practises it – the Shona people of Zimbabwe. Müller-Mühlinghausen explains the unusual choice of venue for the exhibition: “We want to create an emotional, intellectual and economic bridge between Europe and Africa, and make these wonderful Zimbabwean sculptures accessible to a broad public.”
The special artistic tradition of Shona stone sculpture has its roots in the 1960s and has achieved international renown, appearing in famous collections and museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Musée Rodin in Paris. Shona art is currently the most highly regarded contemporary visual art form originating from Africa. Newsweek even described Shona stone sculpture as “perhaps the most important new art form to emerge from Africa this century.” And now visitors to the Tierpark in Berlin get to admire the art form, too – in life-size exhibits. “It is a great honour for us to host this exhibition,” says Tierpark and Zoo Director Dr Andreas Knieriem. “It is a cultural highlight for the Tierpark and for the city of Berlin. The skilful, elaborate work of these sculptors is truly impressive.”
Shona stone sculpture is created using only hammers, chisels and files. Once the stone shape is finished, the sculpture gets its characteristic shine through a combination of water and sand paper. The sculptures speak of the artists’ own spiritual roots and draw on Zimbabwean legends. Many of the sculptures on display at the Tierpark are very large – appropriately so given the animals they depict – and would struggle to fit in the average living room. Together, the sculptures weigh more than 40 tonnes – that’s around ten times as much as our bull elephant Tembo.
Sculpture workshops for Tierpark visitors
Guests who would like to take a piece of spiritual African art home with them have the opportunity to participate in one of our sculpture workshops and carve their very own Shona figure. Various artists from Zimbabwe are offering visitors of all ages the opportunity to work a piece of original Zimbabwean serpentine stone under the watchful eye of a professional. Participation in a two-day workshop costs €120, with each additional day just €40. The sessions take place at the Tierpark’s workshop site next to the Kakadu terrace café. For further information, visit www.tierpark-berlin.de/en/shona.
In memory of Fritz, Tierpark Berlin’s polar bear cub who died recently, the sculpture of a polar bear mother with her young by artist Kennedy Zano will be auctioned off towards the end of this year’s summer season. Proceeds will go to Polar Bears International, a charity that works to protect polar bears in their natural habitat. The sculpture is currently on display at the workshop site in the Tierpark.
