‘Metals and Concepts’ – Bata exhibition at Kulungwana, Maputo

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‘Metals and Concepts’ – Bata exhibition at Kulungwana, Maputo

2:37 CAT | 04 Nov 2016

Kulungwana Facebook / One of Bata's pieces at the exhibition

Now almost 50 years of age, Mozambican sculptor Manuel Fernandes Bata – who signs his works with only his last name – opened a solo exhibition in Maputo’s Kulungwana gallery on Thursday.

‘Metals and Concept’ allows the (re)discovery of an artist who has been steeped in the fine arts for over 30 years.

Manuel Bata began his artistic career in the 80s, alongside a range of other significant Mozambican sculptors. In this period, the first time local artists could show their output after national independence, exhibitions would take place in the cultural centres and single commercial gallery in Maputo.

Bata would quickly be recognised as one of the most promising of the new generation of Mozambican sculptors. This was confirmed by the numerous awards that he was to receive from the beginning of the 90s, such as the 1st prize of the 3rd Exhibition of Banco de Fomento e Exterior (1991); 1st prize of the Collective Annual Exhibition, National Museum of Art (1991); 2nd prize (Sculpture), Biennial TDM’93, Maputo (1993); 1st prize, Petromoc National Competition of Fine Arts (1995); 1st prize of the Bienal TDM (1995); Fundac-Alberto Chissano Award (Consecration/Sculpture, 2001); 2nd prize (Sculpture, Ceramics, Installation and Object) 2nd Contest of Fine Arts of the Bank of Mozambique (2013).

The artist, who became known for his work as a sculptor of wood inspired by traditional methods, began in the last decade to use metal, either together with wood or on its own, as in his 2013 exhibition with sculptor Gonçalo Mabunda.

Visual artist Ulisses Oviedo, who is curating this solo exhibition, says that in this body of Bata’s work we can see “the synthesis and conjugation of small objects, metal fragments that reach the maximum of their forms; we witness the appearance of sculptures that can be seen from inside and outside intrinsically and extrinsically; and we witness an important moment in the artist’s work in a metal shed, raw material little used, which has served for the making of his artistic discourse”.

The exhibition closes on November 24.

From Tuesdays to Fridays – 10h00m to 17h00m / Saturdays – 10h00m to 15h00m
Kulungwana’s Gallery is located at CFM’s Maputo Central Railway Station, Praça dos Trabalhadores,

Source: O País