Shona Queen by Tufani Magabali

Art Rouge Gallery and Miami Beach Botanical Garden present Shona Stone Sculptures Art Exhibit, a special collection of 23 pieces by established and also very promising artists from the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe, Africa.

This exclusive exhibition of contemporary Stone Sculptures presents the symbiosis between the African forms of expression (strongly marked by mythology) and the representation of the birth of Jesus. With this collection, several Shona sculptors show us their particular vision of Christ Nativity. In this way, a direct bond is established between African art expression nature and the Christian faith.

Sculptures of the Shona ethnic group of Zimbabwe are entirely carved by hand. The artists do not use machines to cut the stone or to sandpaper the sculpture. Wood or a gas lamp is used to heat the front stone before certain parts are waxed and polished to accentuate the natural colors of it. The stones must commonly use are Serpentine and Springstone. Artwork results from a direct dialogue between the material (the stone) and the creator. The sculptors ask the stone to reveal what should become the creation

In a Newsweek article SHONA stone sculpture was described as having become the most interesting art manifestation of the 20th century. During the past decade, Zimbabwe Shona Sculpture has become the most collected form of African Art. It has found its way into important repositories such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Rodin Museum, and into the homes of the Rockefellers and the Princes of Wales. Picasso was an admirer of early Shona Sculpture; now evidence is surfacing that he was influenced by it, too.