Singi Chihota was born in 1975, in Zimbabwe's Centenary District, and started carving at the age of 12. His father, Luke Chihota, a basket weaver and stone sculptor, was his first mentor. Singi credits his father with teaching him that sculpting is a contemplative process and that no stage in the process should be rushed.
In 1989 Singi was invited to join the Tengenenge Art Colony. Six years later he moved to the Rukodzi studio, where his cousin, internationally acclaimed artist Edronce Rukodzi, helped him take his work to a different level. In 1996 he was appointed supervisor at the studio, mentoring young artists joining the collective.
Singi finds inspiration in daily life, the spirit world and nature. The human family is a recurring theme in his work. He carves in a range of stones, but prefers the colourful serpentine which comes from his rural home near Guruve. Singi moves effortlessly between abstract curved forms and more representational works. He sometimes chooses to introduce elaborate chisel work into his sculptures and at times experiments with leaving some of the stone untouched.
Singi's work was exhibited at the Mobil Anglo-American Zimbabwe Heritage Exhibition in 1994 and 1998. In 1998 he was awarded a highly recommended certificate by the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. In 2000 one of his sculptures was selected for the permanent collection at Harare Airport.
Singi was the featured artist at Shona D’Afrique V, in Beaconsfield, Montreal and Rice Lake X. He also led three successful sculpting workshops at the ZimArt Gallery. Singi's residency there, in 2009, was his first opportunity to represent himself outside of Zimbabwe.
According to Fran Fearnley, former Curator of ZimArt Gallery, “Singi Chihota is an exceptionally versatile stone sculptor who explores the medium in a myriad of fascinating ways. There is an emotional expressiveness in his work which draws the viewer in. He is both a gifted artist and teacher.”
Singi now lives and works from his home studio in Chitungwiza. He is married and has three children.
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