Aron Kapembeza

Aron Kapembeza is one of Zimbabwe’s successful and most represented artists. Born in 1982, he is primarily a self-taught sculptor. His artistic talent was evident at an early age of 18 and through perseverance and dedication; he is one of Zimbabwe’s leading springstone sculptor.

Aron maintains his studio gallery and sculpture garden in New Tafara, Harare. He discovered he was able to see the finished sculptures hidden in springstone and from that moment, a transformation began. His early training and inspiration came from his aunt, Colleen Madamombe, an established female sculptor in her own rite, taught him the rudiments of sculpting, and to appreciate the details of nature, before moving into his own style.

His passion for the human form is conveyed in his expressive work, focusing on womanhood, from tender ages to motherhood, and this can be seen in a wide range of sculptures ranging from stylized to representational

In his own words: “It’s my own work and once I select a certain rough springstone or rock that I need, I let my mind and feelings coupled with the intrinsic characteristics of stone control the final image. In most cases, the structure of the stone determines the design.” He carves as much of the details of a particular subject as he can, without sacrificing the flowing, graceful lines, which typify his style. Aron is a widely collected artist and  his work can be found in private, corporate and public collections in Europe, the United States and of course throughout African, and 40 exhibitions to his credit.

“I find it a deeply natural experience to carve and I am constantly amazed and excited about the discoveries that can be found in Zimbabwean hard black springstone as well as opal stone”

Aron recently had a solo exhibition in Netherlands, and the first sculptor to give lessons in Europe. In July 2007, Aron travelled to Netherlands and worked at the renowned studio, Gallery De Buffel for three months.