WOMEN are adorned with diamonds and immortalised as mothers of all nature in ‘The Tonzo’. A sculpture exhibition by Alpheus Mvula currently on display at the Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre.
Wrought in a selection of Namibian stone including white marble, granite, serptine and soapstone, the exhibition sparkles with Mvula’s particular ability to animate the inanimate through the sculpting of fine lines revealing the curve of a belly or bovine abstractions.
Focused on the tonzo/the torso, the artist abbreviates and decapitates the body at will with women represented or revered in diamond encrusted skirts and elegant though headless torsos.
A confident collection in which the often textured pieces can be found in both an outdoor and indoor exhibition, ‘The Tonzo’ speaks to Mvula’s ever advancing skill aesthetically and in terms of abundance.
Certainly a meeting or at least a culmination of Mvula’s previous offerings including ‘Oongombe’ (2011), ‘The Body’ (2014) and ‘Women in Stone’ (2015), the artist indulges his fascination with cattle, women and the physical form in a display that sees the tonzo embraced, standing, sitting, male, female or only half emerged from the stone.
Well worth a visit in a city that rarely sees sculpture displayed in a show of both skill and theme, ‘The Tonzo’ is Mvula solo and solid.
‘The Tonzo’ will be on display at the Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre until 8 June.
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