Zim sculptor, Victor Nyakauru, discusses U.S. experience

ZimPAS

BY STHANDWA NCUBE

Harare, February 8, 2012: Award winning sculptor Victor Nyakauru on Tuesday discussed his experience on a two-month arts fellowship in the United States, noting that it added new inspiration to his work.

“I learned quite a few tactics, especially the technique of working with wet wood, which enables you to work it in a way such that it does not develop cracks…I also learned how to simplify my work, as well as using technology… More importantly, I learned how to present myself and my work,” said Nyakauru speaking at a Food for Thought discussion session held at the United States Embassy Public Affairs Section.  Nyakauru was one of only five African artists to be awarded a 2011 Robert Sterling Clark Foundation Fellowship at Vermont Studio Centre (VSC), a haven for writers, painters, printmakers and sculptors in the United States of America.

Nyakauru painted a detailed and enthusiastic picture of his experience for the full house audience, describing collaborative interactions with artists from other countries and the final exhibition of the Fellows’ works at the studio.

Nyakauru explains his work as an “appreciation of nature,” which inspires him to create animals, small insects and other creatures.

“I use traditional material such as stone, metal and bone,” said Nyakauru. Through his work, he also demonstrates aspects of Zimbabwean culture, such as representations of bad luck. His works include creatures like the white hyena, the rabbit and the wasp.  At the height of the cholera outbreak in 2008, he created a fly (commonly known as a green bomber) symbolizing the epidemic.

But his experience at the Vermont Studios was more than just art, noted Nyakauru.

“At VSC, you are supposed to be doing something whether it’s in the office, the kitchen or somewhere…so I always did gardening,” said Nyakauru. The discussion was attended by eminent personalities in the arts industry, including Zimbabwe Culture Fund director Farai Mupfunya and a number of young artists.

Nyakauru’s advice to young artists is to be creative, to work hard and to ensure that they have publications, CDs and catalogues of their work.  He further explained how they could participate in the VSC fellowship.

“In order to qualify to be in the fellowship, you must have about 20 sculptures created and published,” said Nyakauru. Founded by artists in 1984, the Vermont Studio Center is the largest international artists and writers residency program in the United States, hosting around 50 visual artists and writers each month from within the United States and around the world. Vermont Studio Centre is currently accepting applications for new fellows until February 15, 2012, through http://www.vermontstudiocenter.org/ - ZimPAS          

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