Michael Zondi
Michael Gagashe Zondi (born March 10, 1926 in Ngome ( Greytown District , today: Umvoti Local Municipality ), Natal Province ; † March 15, 2008 in Pietermaritzburg ) was a South African wood sculptor and teacher.
life and work
Zondi, the eldest of six children of a farm laborer who worked a lot with wood, spent his childhood in the mission station of the Swedish Lutheran Church in Mtulwa (Natal) and attended high school in Kranskop (Natal). Since 1941 he learned the craft of carpenter and carpenter at the Swedish Mission School in Dundee (Natal) under the guidance of the architect Einar Andreas Magni. At the age of 25 he began to work as a wood sculptor. At times he made a living from making furniture and then completed a teacher training course. From 1949 he worked as a woodworking tradesman at the Swedish Mission School. In the late 1950s he studied art at the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg . He was artistically influenced by the missionary Josepha Selhorst .
Zondi designed and built the chapel of the mission hospital in Appelsbosch (Natal), of which he was the technical manager, made the crucifix and designed the room. From 1967 to 1972 he was in the public service in projects to promote agriculture and handicrafts. From 1972 he worked as a freelance artist. In 1992 he suffered a stroke , which left him unable to work. He died in 2008 of complications from another stroke. His wooden sculptures can be found in the Iziko Art Collections in Cape Town .
Exhibitions (selection)
- 1961 Republic Day Exhibition (group exhibition)
- 1962 DAM (Black Artists)
- 1963 Venice ( Biennale )
- 1966 Venice (Biennale)
- 1975 Royal Museum for Central Africa , Tervuren , Belgium (Zulu Art)
- 1975 Nedbank Gallery, Johannesburg (with David Koloane )
- 1977 National Gallery of Rhodesia, Salisbury (SAArt)
- 1978 French Embassy in South Africa (Roots of Heritage)
- 1981 Jabulani Standard Bank, Soweto (Black Art Today)
Works
- The Fountain , The Prophet (both in the Durban Art Gallery)
- Meditate (1986)
- Khwela / Flute Player (1989)
- Mqaphale (1987)
- Woman in Ecstasy ( South African National Gallery in Cape Town )
literature
- S. Sack: The Neglected Tradition. Johannesburg Art Gallery 1988.
Web links
- Biography in South African History Online (English)
- Biography on www.ifalethu.org.za (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Tatham Art Gallery: Timeline - Michael Gagashe Zondi (March 10, 1926 - March 15, 2008) ( Memento of the original from December 6, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . on www.tatham.org.za (English)
- ↑ Ifa Lethu Foundation: Michael Zondi . on www.ifalethu.org.za (English)
- ↑ Kirsten Nieser: Michael Zondi: Creating Modernity . PhD Dissertation University of KwaZulu-Natal , Faculty of Humanities, Development and Social Sciences. Pietermaritzburg 2010. online at www.researchspace.ukzn.ac.za (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Zondi, Michael |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Zondi, Michael Gagashe (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | South African wood sculptor and teacher |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 10, 1926 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Ngome (South Africa) , Natal Province , South Africa |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 15, 2008 |
| Place of death | Pietermaritzburg |