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ZimSculpt

Curators of Zimbabwean Sculpture Worldwide

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RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Location: Chelsea Flower Show, London, UK
Previously ran: 2006-11

6 consecutive years winning awards at Chelsea Flower Show.

157,000 visitors pass through this famous flower show ever year.

It’s a 16 hour day for us for 5 days of the Chelsea Flower Show, not to mention the treacherous build-up and breakdown time, a week before and after.

Given the usual uncertain weather in the UK we often set up this exhibition in gale-force rains and wind!  We are given a piece of green grass on a un-even bank 10 metres long by 5 metres deep and have to ‘construct’ a garden… our garden design wanted to portray the ‘journey’ that the Zimbabwean sculpture goes through to get to anywhere in the world and also to show that African sculpture has it’s place in a traditional English garden.

We set up half of the space with a typical rural Zimbabwean scene – thatched rondavel, red soil, maize field & sunflower plot.  In the middle of this Zimbabwean garden we placed a huge (3 metre high) sculpture to capture the crowded audience walking past.  The two gardens were slightly separated with railway sleepers on the floor…

The other half of the space we designed a typical English garden, with typical English country flowers.  This garden had a small wooden garden shed backing on to the thatched rondavel and a small-slabbed spaced-out pathway that meandered through the garden back, from side to side.  Within this garden we positioned up to 20 different sculptures in various positions, so the person walking through our garden could see every angle of each sculpture.

Along the frontage of our area we placed information panels about ‘the journey’ the sculpture goes through, from the mines, to the artist creation, to the packing and shipping to your final experience in front of you.

The set-up of our exhibition space was no mean feat.  We had an uneven bank to work with, which meant positioning everything needed severe ‘safety’ control.  Apart from that we were not allowed to disturb the eco-system of the gardens and could not excavate at all where we were!  All of the sculptures were mounted on log bases which had to be positioned and pinned with wooden wedges and stainless steel pins around the bases to keep them in place.  These of course were totally concealed by planting at the end, but meant that our job was labor-some and at times risky.

Our shed had to be cut in precise angles to fit the gradient of the bank.  Luckily the rondavel was made with gum poles, so these were easy to position at different lengths.  The entire space had to be encompassed by fencing panels to keep the plot neat and together as an exhibit, the Zimbabwean garden had reed fence panels and the English country garden. wicker.

The end result we think was stunning – a wonderful way to represent Zimbabwe and it’s wonderful art movement.  Certainly we must have been one of the most photographed stand after the Show Gardens. We won awards for our display every year from Merits to Commendations.

watch the YouTube Video (2011)

Sculpture has always been a part of Chelsea Flower Show so it comes as no surprise that there are 55 stands exhibiting all kinds of shapes, sizes and materials made by home-grown and international talent. Sculptors from Africa were especially evident and I could have walked away with a number of the exhibits from ZimSculpt.com, a studio based in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Julian DesboroughChelsea Flower Show

CURRENTLY flying the Zimbabwean flag high in Britain are three of the country’s most brilliant yet unheralded sculptors: Lincon Muteta, Sam Mabeu and Jonothan Mhondorohuma. The trio together with their youthful promoter, British-born Vivienne Prince, have been in England exhibiting their provocative works – exotic in this part of the world…

The StandardZimbabwe

Press & Media Coverage

  • Blog by Julian (2009)
  • The Standard / AllAfrica. com (2004)

Featured Exhibitions

  • Upcoming 15 April – 30 JulyFort Worth Botanic Garden, Texas
    Upcoming 15 April – 30 July
    Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Texas
  • 2022Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens, USA
    2022
    Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens, USA
  • 2021 & 2017Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden, United States
    2021 & 2017
    Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden, United States
  • 2019 & 2018Toronto Botanical Garden, Canada
    2019 & 2018
    Toronto Botanical Garden, Canada
  • 2017Toledo Botanical Garden, United States
    2017
    Toledo Botanical Garden, United States
  • 2015Muttart Conservatory, Canada
    2015
    Muttart Conservatory, Canada
  • 2014-15Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, United States
    2014-15
    Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, United States
  • 2012-13 & 2006-7The Royal Botanical Gardens, Canada
    2012-13 & 2006-7
    The Royal Botanical Gardens, Canada
  • 2013Dow Gardens, USA
    2013
    Dow Gardens, USA
  • 2012-13Naples Botanical Garden, United States
    2012-13
    Naples Botanical Garden, United States
  • 2009-11VanDusen Botanical Garden, Canada
    2009-11
    VanDusen Botanical Garden, Canada
  • 2004-6 & 2011Loseley Park, UK
    2004-6 & 2011
    Loseley Park, UK
  • 2008-10Knebworth House, UK
    2008-10
    Knebworth House, UK
  • 2008-10Herstmonceux Castle (Queens University), UK
    2008-10
    Herstmonceux Castle (Queens University), UK
  • 2005-7Cannizaro Park, UK
    2005-7
    Cannizaro Park, UK
  • 2003-5Ingatestone Hall, UK
    2003-5
    Ingatestone Hall, UK

About ZimSculpt

Based in Harare, ZimSculpt is passionate about promoting the work of some of the finest Zimbabwean sculptors. By holding exhibitions around the world and making sculptures available for purchase online, we let you experience some of the finest contemporary stone sculpture.
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Upcoming Exhibition

  • Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Fort Worth , Texas
    15 April – 30 July

Partner with ZimSculpt

ZimSculpt partners with people around the world. Contact us if you are interested in hosting an exhibition or are interested in selling our sculptures.
Learn more

Past Exhibitions

  • Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens, USA (2022)
  • Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden, United States (2021 & 2017)
  • Toronto Botanical Garden, Canada (2019 & 2018)
  • Toledo Botanical Garden, United States (2017)
  • Muttart Conservatory, Canada (2015)
  • Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, United States (2014-15)
  • The Royal Botanical Gardens, Canada (2012-13 & 2006-7)
  • Dow Gardens, USA (2013)
  • Naples Botanical Garden, United States (2012-13)
  • Loseley Park, UK (2004-6 & 2011)
  • Knebworth House, UK (2008-10)
  • Herstmonceux Castle (Queens University), UK (2008-10)
  • Cannizaro Park, UK (2005-7)
  • Ingatestone Hall, UK (2003-5)
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A real treat here in Wimbledon. At Cannizaro Park a superb open-air exhibition of Zimbabwean sculpture. There were many pieces, large and small, and a wide variety of different stone used in imaginative ways. And, overall, a real sense of Africa, linked to a long artistic tradition.

I was told that many of the sculptors had been trained within their own families: a father, an uncle, a grandfather, passing on the old skills.

Catholic Herald
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