Place of Birth: Mvurwi, Zimbabwe
Family/Cultural Background:
His parents came from Malawi to Zimbabwe in 1918. His father was a builder on a tobacco farm and also a mask carver. Taught by his father, he also became a mask carver. He made a start with sculpting in 1967. During the morning he would work on the farm and in the afternoon he would sculpt. When Tengenenge closed in 1979 because of the war, the Manzi family is the only one which stayed at Tengenenge. He is married to the sculptress Janet Manzi. He has seven children and he is a Chigure.
Formal Education: He went to school but not detailed.
Art education: Informal [self taught]
Inspiration/Influence: Comes from his head as well as his stories.
Solo Exhibition: Tengenenge Gallery, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Group Exhibitions:
Gallery two, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Union of Jewish Women, Henri Lidchi showroom, Zimbabwe
Exposicao Internationale De Arte Tengenenge, Mozambique
Tengenenge Sculpture, Dorp Street studio, South Africa
1973-Permanent collection, The Great stone garden, South Africa
1974-tengenenge sculpture, Tengenenge Gallery, Zimbabwe
1979-Tengenenge sculpture, Ok Mall, East gate, South Africa
1980-Tengenenge stone sculpture from Africa, Fengaten Galleries, USA
1981-Art from Africa, commonwealth Institute, Uk
1982-Annual Nedlaw sculpture exhibition, National gallery, Bulawayo,
Mutare National Museum and Art Galleries ,Botswana, Lusaka, Zambia
1983-Images in Stone sculpture, Sherman, Camarillo, Califonia, USA
1985-Zimbabwe stone sculpture, Kresge Art Museum, Michigan State
University, USA
Stone sculpture from Zimbabwe, irving sculpture gallery, Australia
1986-Soul in stone, Alandale Centre, Perth, west Australia
1989-The spirit of Tengenenge, Zimbabwe/Germany society, Harare, Zimbabwe
Beeldenhouwers van Zimbabwe ,Beelden op de berg, mWageningen,
the Netherlands
1990-contemporary stone carvings from Zimbabwe, Yorkshire sculpture
Park, UK
1992-Man becomes a bird, Exposorium Vrije Universiteit, armsterdam, the
Netherlands
Vroege Beelden uit Tengenenge, Dodewaard, the Netherlands
Zimbabwe skulpturen, stadtbuchei, Windeeken, Germany
1993-Sculpture exhibition, Galerie Knud Groethe, Charlottenland, Denmark
Stone sculpture from Zimbabwe, Trinkaus und Burkhardt, Dusseldolf,
Germany
Talking stones 2, the Contemporary Fine Art Gallery, UK
1994-Tengenenge Oud Tengenenge Niew, Kasteel, Baarn, the Netherlands
Ludwig forum fur international Kunst, Aachen, Germany
1995-Shona sculpture from Zimbabwe, CCA Gallery, London, Uk
1996-30 Jaar Tengenenge, Galerie de strang, Dodewaard, the Netherlands
1997-Moderne afrikanische Kunst, Skulpture aus Zimbabwe, Messepark,
Munich, Germany
2000-Kew Gardens, London
2001-Seele in Stein, Museum Alpin, Pontresina, Switzerland
Awards and Achievements:
1987-Award of Merit, National gallery, Harare, Zimbabwe
1990-award of Distinction, National Gallery, Harare, Zimbabwe
Certificate of Excellence, National gallery, Harare, Zimbabwe
Artist Narrative:
His work is spiritual maybe because of his Yao culture. In some of his paintings, the anatomy develops new and often disturbing relationships. To Josiah it seems natural for breasts to develop from thighs, yet to the on looker it seems surreal and a subversion of Orthodoxy. His ‘Monkey and owl and his Mirror’ seen like giant cameos-the smooth, carved figures of the animals, the bird and the human face carefully inlaid into the stone and offset by their natural setting. He notes, “Before I start a sculpture, I take off the blanket of stone, like taking off the skin of an animal. Nobody eats an animal before the skin is taken off”.
Collections:
- National Gallery, Harare, Zimbabwe
- Chapungu sculpture Park, Zimbabwe
- Museum der weltkulturen, Frankfort, Germany
- Collection Reinhold and Heide Kersten, Schnitten in Taunus, Germany
- Collection Manfred Kuhnijk, Bad Soden, Germany
- Tengenenge museum Galerie de strang, Dodewaard, the Netherlands
- Collection Van Baren, Wageningen, the Netherlands
- The Joseph G Raeber collection, Dornach, Switzerland
Artist Residence: Tengenenge, Guruve, Zimbabwe
To see video footage of Josiah sculpting visit: http://youtu.be/_jjCbyTYU00
