Michael Nyakusvora

About

Michael’s pieces are hand-carved and individually sourced. All the stone is sourced locally from the Mvurwi Mountain in Mashonaland Province of Northern Zimbabwe. Every 3 months Michael travels to mines in the Mashonaland region to select and transport stones back to his workshop in Harare. The ensuing process can take up to 4 months to create a finished product.

Michael Nyakusvora was born in a Rusape village deep in the heart of Zimbabwe. When he was 13, he moved to Chitugwiza, where began to experiment with woodcarving in his uncle’s workshop. As Michael expanded his technique stone, he fell under the tutelage of Moses Masaya. In 1999, Michael’s work was exhibited for the first time at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe’s exhibition. Over the years his his style has taken on his own identity and his reputation is rapidly growing. Today, Michael uses stone to showcase the beauty and culture of his home, focusing on the intersection of humans, animals, and nature.

Africa has a rich history of stone masonry. Situated over the “Great Dyke”, Zimbabwe is the home to vast ore deposits of serpentine rock, including: Opal, Lepidolite, Butter Jade, Verdite, Dolomite, Cobalt, Leopard Rock, and Springstone (a local hard stone unique to this region). The abundance of these stones sparked a renaissance of stone artisans in the early-1950s inspired by the ancient cultural traditions of the Shona people.