PHOTOS: Dook | PRODUCTION: Klara van Wyngaarden | WORDS: Mirelle Leyden
Michele Mathison, who was born and raised in Zimbabwe, certainly has a lot to say. His vehicle of communication: sculpting.
Picture a landscape so lush and fertile that any seed you plant shoots up instantly. Imagine a community that feeds on art, culture, theatre and music the way a bee feeds on nectar. The future looks bright and possibilities seem endless.
This was the Zimbabwe where Michele had the privilege of growing up. “In high school we were a bunch of innovative youngsters excited to live our lives and grow old in the country of our birth. It all seemed possible then,” he recalls.
After completing his schooling, Michele decided to study art at the University of Cape Town, majoring in sculpting. It was during his final year that the situation in Zimbabwe began to deteriorate. “I was shaken to the core and overwhelmed with so many questions and frustrations. My only outlet was my art,” he remembers.
For his final-year project, Michele sculpted numerous wax hands emerging from a large piece of wall-mounted plywood, each index finger pointing forward to create the image of a gun. The visual effect was tremendous. Michele’s final-year exhibition consisted of a range of similar sculptures all addressing the situation in Zimbabwe, which saw him graduating at the top of his class.
However, building a life and career in the country of his birth was no longer a viable option. It was during this time that furniture designer and close friend Gregor Jenkin jumped at the chance to have Michele work alongside him. Three years, a successful coffee shop called Boat, and a design company down the line, Michele finally has the time to focus on his sculpting once again.
“I seem to have picked up exactly where I left off. A theme of abstract interruption of objects seems to run throughout my sculptures. I still view my art as a form of communication, continuously evolving as I evolve.”
Michele’s art is available from Tonic Design, Johannesburg.
• Tonic Design: 011 327 2028, www.tonicdesign.co.za
• Michelle Mathison: 074 196 3451
