SEBARSTAN CHIFAMBA

SHONA MASTER

Sebastian is an emerging third generation Shona artist. Sebastian was born on August 5, 1982 in the Masvingo central district and lived there until 2000. The declining agricultural industries coupled with a shortage of oil and foreign currency resulted in exponential devaluation of the Zimbabwean dollar and an increase in prices for consumer goods. This severely impacted rural areas like Masvingo where Sebastian was living. Upon graduation from secondary school, Sebastian discovered that his rural homestead had become devoid of sustainable economic opportunities for self-reliance.

In Harare, Zimbabwean youths from the rural areas discovered that stone carving could provide a better chance for surviving the economic depression. The only challenge was to be physically able to hand mine the raw stones and spiritually capable of communicating with the spirit of the stone. When Sebastian arrived in Harare in distress over the situation in Masvingo, his elder brother offered to teach him the art he had come to master.

The lessons focused on understanding the difference between carving and carving nice quality pieces. For the young Shona artists, this economic crisis also meant an increase in the cost of raw stones and transportation for the stones. Sebastian was fortunate to have his elder brother as his teacher, because he was able bypass the expense of purchasing tools and raw stones to hone his skills.

His first piece “Feeling Cold” is a tribute to his father who passed away. In a March 2004 interview, Sebastian described his thought process before sculpting, “I look at the stone and see the shape inside, then I think about Zimbabwe and how we are living”.

It is no surprise that Sebastian prefers the hard stones. Shona Masters welcome the challenge of the hardest stones as they are the only stones that can allow the Shona artist to truly demonstrate his understanding of the stone, the spirit within the stone and the composition layers of the stone. Sebastian also favors the hard stones because they can last longer without breaking.

Sebastian is a rising star with a style that is heavily influenced by his rural upbringing and family.