Makina Kumeya
Makina Kumeya (known as Makina) was possibly the oldest practising first generation sculptor. He was born in 1918 in Angola. As a youth his grandmother taught him to make wooden dishes from which he earned a small income. After helping his parents on their farm for some years, he came to Zimbabwe in 1945 and obtained work as a gardner. He later mine chrome and worked as an agricultural labourer until 1958, when he joined Tom Blomefield on his farm at Tengenenge. In 1966 when the Tengenenge Sculpture Community started he began sculpting.
He lived at Tengenenge and was a full time sculptor. His work reflected the influence of West African masks, being very simple, almost archaic ? with a timeless quality. His subject matter was normally human or spirit heads but he also sculpted birds with great precision of style beautiful form.
He won a major award on the first and second times his work was exhibited in competition. He has exhibited in all of the Tengenenge exhibitions and most of the group exhibitions.
Late in his career, he was injured when one of his sculptures fell and crushed his pelvis and legs, he never fully recovered form his injuries.
Makina passed away in February 1988.
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