Fanizani Akuda (1932 – 2011)

Fanizani Akuda was born in 1932 in Mteya near Chipata, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia).

Fanizani Akuda joined in 1967 the Tengenenge colony for stone sculpture, which was founded in Zimbabwe by Tom Blomefield in 1966. Next to Bernard Matemera, Henry Munyaradzi and Sylvester Mubavi he was soon declared by critics to be one of Tengenenge’s most prolific and well-known artists. In 1975 during the Independence War Fanizani Akuda left Tengenenge.

Smiling figures, happy families, interaction between humans and animals often in pairs or groups and not forgetting "slit eyes", one of his distinguishing features, became his "trademark".

Until his death in 2011 Fanizani Akuda lived and worked in Chitungwiza near Harare.

"Out of Africa", Villa Dessauer, Bamberg, 14.03. – 14.04.2002

"Life Colours", Contemporary Art from Africa, SiemensForum Erlangen, 11.01. - 07.03.2002

"Artists of the gallery", Gallery ZAK, Fürth, Bavaria, 07.05. – 31.12.2001

"Stone sculptures from Zimbabwe", Gallery ZAK, Fürth, Bavaria, 09.07. – 23.09.1999

"Spirit of Tengenenge", Gallery ZAK, Fürth, Bavaria, 15.05. – 23.09.1998

"Time Travel - New Art from Africa", „Siemens informiert“, Erlangen, 19.09. - 16.10.1997

„Querschnitt“, Gallery ZAK, Fürth, Bavaria, 20.09. – 21.11.1996

"Fifty ways to sculpt an elephant", Gallery ZAK, Fürth, Bavaria, 24.05. – 18.09.1996

„Magie in Stein“, Gallery ZAK, Fürth, Bavaria, 24.05. – 26.07.1995