AT WORK: Patrick Stephani, left, and Passmore Mupindiko are happy to talk to visitors as they create new sculptures at the Royal Botanical Gardens. (PHOTO: Liz Campbell/Toronto Today)
Here’s a day trip you won’t want to miss. But you’ll have to move quickly because an extraordinary exhibit of African art at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington closes on Oct. 8.
Zimsculpt is a collection of more than 100 magnificent sculptures from Zimbabwe, all of which have been placed in and around the gardens. So a stroll through the rose garden, or the medicinal plants garden, might bring one a glimpse of a mother and child, or an abstract labelled Counselling.
The sculptures reflect life in Zimbabwe, with titles like Learning to Write, Waiting at the Clinic, Newly Married, and one particularly evocative one called First Kick with hands stretched across a pregnant belly.
The carvers have polished and roughed local Zimbabwe stone to create texture and colour. It’s hard to believe Passmore Mupindiko’s guinea fowl, stalking majestically among the reeds, is made from one piece of stone. But Passmore is sitting in the garden at the RBG, working on another sculpture, and is happy to talk about his craft. Patrick Stephani, whose Mother and Daughter is elegant, is also here from Africa to demonstrate his art.
All the pieces are for sale and more new pieces are expected to arrive next week from the more than 200 artists in the cooperative. Prices range from about $25 to several hundred but each piece is a hand-crafted work of art.
Visit www.rbg.ca/ZimSculpt for more information.
