Onias Mupumha won the sculpture category in the visual arts section of the 2008 National Arts Merit Awards awarded by Zimbabwe’s National Arts Council.
Well-deserved national recognition from Zimbabwe’s arts elite for one of the brightest stars in a new generation of talent. Onias was also Guruve’s Artist In Residence in Summer 2008.

Onias was born on 23 February 1978 in Rusape, eastern Zimbabwe. He completed his O-Levels in 1995 and moved to Harare in 1997. In Harare, his uncle Richard Mupumha encouraged Onias to try stone sculpture, under his guidance. Onias started doing his own sculptures in 1999 and is now a well-established artist with many international patrons.

Onias’ style is graceful and organic with fluid uncomplicated lines, reflecting the beauty of natural design. He is a star of his generation – his own innate talent in the context of a tradition of Zimbabwean sculpture tending ever more towards a minimal use of line.

This text is copyright (please see statement on our homepage) and is the intellectual property of Shona Sculpture Gallery and must not be reproduced without our permission and attribution to www.shonasculpture.gallery.