Richard Mteki
Richard Mteki, born in 1947 in Harare, Richard worked under Canon Paterson and then at the Workshop School of The National Gallery, where his brother Boira Mteki was prominent in the earlier days.
In 1982 one of his pieces was selected as the gift to be presented to the Nigerian head of state by President Mugabe on his official visit to that country. Then in 1984 the Zimbabwean overnment selected Richard8s work to be presented to the late Rajiv Gandhi on the opening of the Non Aligned Movement summit in Harare. Again in 1986 Richard was commissioned by the Zimbabwean Government to create a piece for the National Sports Stadium in Harare, a Zimbabwean bird.
Richardīs sculptures are generally peaceful; they do not disturb but rather leave the viewer feeling calm and content. His work is filled with a gentle spiritual presence, usually small and compact - their messages being much larger than their scale. Having been sculpting for over 25 years, Richard is a master of stone carving and the strength and fluidity of his lines constantly bear witness to his experience. Typically classed, Richard is a second generation sculptor drawing on the beliefs of the Shona man for the majority of his subject matter, although he is also inspired by nature occasionally depicting animals in his own distinctive style. The shape of the raw stone is important to Mteki, he chooses to work with the stone rather than impose his will upon it.
A dedicated conservationist and deeply concerned about the plight of the rhino, he participated in the Rhino Watch exhibition in London in 1994 and donated the money from the sale of one of his pieces to a conservation fund. He possesses a strong social conscience and is eager to instruct younger aspiring sculptors in the methods of stone sculpting, just as he was shown as a young man. Richard feels this is necessary as with out proper instruction, there is no future so he always encourages the youngsters to strive for their own style and not simply to imitate others.
Artist Sculpture:
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