Moveti Manzi, from Tengenenge, incorporates the imagery of the Yao masked dances into his dark and mysterious sculptures. Long undulating figures and tapering conical heads symbolize the dancers and the masks they wear. Moveti Manzi is the son of Josia Manzi, whose stylized version of the Yao dancers in various stones are complimented by his humorous renditions in stone of the protagonists of Yao folk lore. Long elegant sculptures topped with mushroom heads are also a feature of Moveti Manzi’s work. His sculptures show the formal accomplishment of the sculptures of his father Josia. There is no diversion of form by way of worked texture, or the decorative qualities of stone. Moveti Manzi has made a series of rain birds and eagles with long, elegant necks and powerful beaks. His work is represented in the Permanent Collection of Chapungu Sculpture Park, and that of Tengenenge.
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