BY AGATHA CHUMA LOCAL-BASED sculptor Wiston Nyekete, who has been in and out of the country for quite a number of times to exhibit his works, says musicians and sculptors should not be compared because their art genres were different.
“The reason why musicians seem to get more fame after returning from performing or recording abroad unlike us sculptors is because one song can reach many households, while it takes a number of sculptures to reach many clients,” said Nyekete in an interview with NewsDay Life & Style.
“Fame comes with numbers and likes, so you find that for us sculptors it takes time to be recognised and for our work to be known even after returning from showcasing abroad. Sometimes we go abroad to showcase and market our products not with the aim of coming back famous.”
Nyekete said he started off as a metal fabrication engineer before falling in love with sculpting in 2000. In 2009, he went to China for a culture exchange exhibition. In 2014, he went to Angola to introduce stone sculpting and later went on to participate at a granite sculpture symposium in Kenya the same year. This year he is set to attend a sculpture symposium in Turkey in September.
“From all these visits I have learnt that art knows no language or barrier. It is a universal language that communicates internationally. I also learnt that we are all equal human beings in the whole world, but it takes hard work for people to distinguish you from other people,” Nyekete added.
His sculptures mostly focus on the theme of living in harmony with nature because he is inspired mostly by nature. He once received a stone carving accolade at the 10th anniversary of Chitungwiza Arts Centre in 2007 and recently was one of the participants working on commissioned work on granite for the new Parliament building under Calvin Chimutuwa.
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