Lazarus Takawira

The works of Lazarus Takawira range from they mysterious to the incomparable. He is the legendry Second Generation artist extraordinaire. Takawira grew up detesting art. His mother was the primary care giver, a strong woman with a will and determination that appears to have defined Takawira’s destiny as an artist.

It was around 1961 when the late Joel Marike brought soapstone to his mother’s house and his mother suggested that they carve the stone and make art. As a result the young Takawira reluctantly followed his mother’s instruction and the inspiration to sculpted seeped into his mind and has been there ever since.

The Risen Power Within - In 1962 Takawira met Mrs Patty Pierce as he was selling his art and she introduced him to Mr Frankie McCuwen director of the National Gallery. Even at this stage Takawira saw sculpting as a dirty job and continued to despise it. In 1969 he then decided to join the police force where he was a police officer posted in the Murewa District. Takawira however could not escape the hold that art had one him and so one day he decided to ride his bike to a near by village and collect some stone for sculpting.

It was 1970 and the piece he created he called ‘Rising Power’. This piece was so called because it articulated the rising of a multitude into independence; the piece had two hands rising up out of the dirt in a powerful declaration of resistance and power. Takawira took this piece to McCuwen and explained the piece by saying ‘anything can happen’. However, there were Rhodesians in the police force who did not appreciate the symbolism behind the piece and he was arrested. At the initiation of the trial Takawira had no legal representation so McCuwen agreed to stand for him and in his closing argument stated that the court should take judicial notice of the fact that artists in general are crazy and do not reason as other sound minded people in the community. This idea that Takawira was another crazy artist possibly saved his life and most certainly his career. Few artists can sculpt pieces with such clarity of meaning in the political arena that they are put on trial.

Teaching and Preaching with Sculpture - By 1980 Zimbabwe had gained its independence and Takawira continued to create art. At this stage he was promoted to the office of the President but he soon resigned from his usual duties although he remained an advisor to the police. Takawira became a full time artist because of the drive that art had ignited in his soul. What he once hated he now loved above all things, but he has not forgotten that it was art that first loved him and provided him with everything he had in his early years growing up at his mother’s side.
From 1980 Takawira was preaching and teaching with sculpture; he became a born again Christian by the end of the same year and his in art seemed to catapult. At this stage Takawira began to develop various themes relating to women and their role in the community. Takawira is an artist who believes in the strength and depth of his culture; he expresses in art what he believes to be a deeply rooted and enduring way of life.

Inspirations of the Past – Though many Second Generation artists have now been exposed to Western art, any of them maintain that they gain little inspiration from it. More so Takawira who says that Africans and especially the culture he represents should not easily meld the norms of others into their own belief systems. This is not to say that they cannot learn from other cultures but that firstly, the Shona should appreciate their culture before they can appreciate any other culture and they must endeavor to learn from it because it is a heritage from their mothers and fathers before them.

Takawira’s trademarks have developed over time, in many respects since his work with his mother, amaiTakawira in the rural areas he has been developing certain themes and movements which make his art unique.

The movements Takawira uses on his female forms are based on what he was taught about women by his mother and great uncles as a young man. The central features of Takawira’s forms are the face and the movement of the body. For instance he comments that, “…a woman is like a river in motion, no two rivers are alike, nor are they ever straight”.

What Takawira teaches in his art and the manner is which he speaks of his subjects shows a tremendous appreciation for women, specifically his mother, but all women in general. As for his wife he simply laughs and says, “…a woman is medicine.”

Takawira has also gained some relevant inspiration from nature. For instance, on a trip to Kariba in Zimbabwe, Takawira became inspired by the myriad of dry trees lodged in the large lake. The trees are like gigantic fingers feeling the current and waves of a woman’s hair do. What Takawira could see were two trips held together in a lovers grip. He then invited his wife to the scene and shared the moment with her before he began to sculpt the piece, which was later purchased by the Hollywood actor, Mr Danny Glover.

Making Every Rock a Sculpture – Takawira believes that every rock is a sculpture. All that is required of the artist is to remove what is essentially not enhancing to the piece and to leave the rest as it is. It is interesting to see how this emerges in Takawira’s work, he has a tendency to leave portions of the raw stone on the finished work, something which many Second Generation artists do not do capture. This process highlights the natural colours and the feel of the stone which gives the feature piece a frame and ‘landscape’ within which to articulate the _expression and story they were created to tell. The natural beauty of such stones as springstone and lopidolite forms the majority of Takawira’s works. These are durable stones yet when one looks at the physically imposing structure of Takawira himself it is clear that he enjoys the challenge of working with some rather impressive raw stones.
In Athens Texas Takawira wants to impart a message to people through his art. Some of his peieces showcased there are highlighted below.

Vatete – This piece is translated as ‘The Aunt’. It is a piece that details many of the themes that Takawira has mastered over the years. The aunt in traditional Shona culture acts as a mediator for married couples and is there to comfort and counsel young and old people alike. The aunt has wide respect because she speaks on behalf of both sides in a dispute and fosters respect and unity in the family structure. Takawira also likes this piece because as a Pastor he has been educated in Family Principles and wants to amalgamate the values of both the Shona culture and his Christian beliefs.

Because of the hard work put into each piece of art, Takawira believes that artists need to form a closer alliance, he would like to see a time when artists can go to the National Gallery and standards of art should be discussed as well as ways in which to discourage copycats. One of the reasons Takawira enjoys his partnership and the promotion of Mystery In Stone is their access to the legitimate artist and their works. It is a transparent relationship that demonstrates a respect for the artist and their integrity.