COLLEN MADAMOMBE. SPRINGSTONE STATUE.

Collen Madamombe, Springstone, 41 x 26 cm, Colleen Madamombe's major theme was the newly developed, self-confident, proud African woman. In particular, her depictions of women with children have an almost 'expansive' motherliness and are full of cheerful humor in their everyday situations. In powerful, often dance-like, characteristically female movements, her sculptures, mostly chiseled from black springstone (serpentine) or opal, play with the contrast of rough, richly ornamented surfaces for the typically wide, billowing skirts – or e.g. B. the shopping baskets - and black-polished surfaces for faces and hands. In a virtuoso manner, she often leaves parts of a stone's outer shell, which consists of a brown mineral, so that they form decorative patterns such as large flowers, butterflies or hearts. Typical titles: "I know my way" and "Proud with my dress".

There is little influence from other sculptors on Colleen Madamombe's work; she particularly admired the work of Tapfuma Gutsa and Cosmos Muchenje.

In a traditionally male-dominated society, Colleen Madamombe has reached an unprecedented level of success for Zimbabwean women. Her work focuses on the changing role of women in modern African society. Her realistic sculptures create a direct connection between great art and the people in the country through their direct address, not least for the women in the rural areas of Zimbabwe, who identify with them directly. Her work "The Birth" received a lot of attention at the Expo 2000 in Hanover. Colleen Madamombe was a member of the Friends Forever artists' association and regularly participated in their group exhibitions in the capitals of America and Europe. Her work is an indispensable part of any modern Zimbabwean sculpture collection.