26/04/2022
Born
Dominic Benhura
1968
Murewa, Rhodesia
Nationality
Zimbabwean
Known for
Sculpture
Benhura's statue Swing Me Mama (1995) in the Singapore Botanic Gardens
Benhura was born in Murewa, to the northeast of [Harare]. His father died before his birth, and he was raised by his mother. As he was an excellent student, it was suggested that he be sent to Salisbury for further studies. His uncle had a home in the suburb of Tafara, and Benhura went to live there at the age of ten; he lived with his cousin Tapfuma Gutsa, already a well-known sculptor. Benhura began polishing his cousin's sculptures, but soon began carving himself, making small offcuts before moving onto large stone. He sold his first piece at twelve.
Despite having no formal training, Benhura turned to sculpting full-time upon the finish of his schooling, showing his work at the Chapungu Sculpture Park for the first time in 1987. He joined the resident artist program there in 1990, staying until acquiring a home in Athlone, Harare, in 1995. Through the program he worked on larger pieces; he also began traveling during this period, attending workshops in Botswana, the United States, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany. He began to add metal to his stone sculptures.
Benhura is considered to be part of the second generation of Zimbabwean stonecarvers. In 2016, he sculpted a statue of Robert Mugabe.
