This beautiful metal owl is handmade in Zimbabwe. The upcycling owl is produced in a fair way. The owl is a nice decorative item in the house, on the balcony or in the garden. It is a great item to greet your friends in front of the door.
The great thing about this decorative owl is that no metal was "wasted" to produce it. Following its previous "life cycle" the metal was reused creatively to produce this great piece of art, a proud owl. As it is hard to find the same scrap metal again and again, each item produced by these Zimbabwean artists is unique. It is great that out of something old something new is created and that through this approach natural resources can be saved at the same time.
The raw materials for the upcycling owl are old metal sheets, oil cans, screws and nails, tubes and sometimes even wires. The young Zimbabwean artists do not need many tools to create these nice pieces of art. They only use metal scissors and a few welding machines to create these beautiful creatures. The metal owl, as the symbol of wisdom, is a great present for a dear friend.
In the end of the production process the metal owls are lacquered with clear lacquer which protects them from rust and makes them weatherproof. The young artists creating these decorative items are the metal craftsmen Forget Gwishiri, Assan Banda, Gibson Makarutse and Victor Mhembere. The metal owls and the other pieces of art are great copies of real animals.
These creations are part of the famous Shona art from Zimbabwe. Sculptures made of recycled metal are a special facet of Zimbabwe's art scene. Old metals and scrap metal are brought to new life by the creative power of ambitious artists. It is impressive to see how the metal artists use enormous quality and outstanding welding skills to breathe an often lifelike plasticity into the seemingly rigid and heavy material. The original and often life-size objects are breathtaking highlights at any location.
The good thing is that all Shona art pieces are handmade, fair trade and of high quality. As these pieces are handcrafted, they are unique pieces, each item slightly varying from the other.
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Stone works from Zimbabwe are worldwide known. Numerous sculptures by Zimbabwean artists have already been exhibited in museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Musée Rodin in Paris or the Museum für Weltkulturen in Frankfurt.
Some of the most remarkable stone sculptures in the last 50 years were produced by sculptors from Zimbabwe. These sculptures reflect situations of everyday life, surrounding nature, culture, myths, and legends. The occurrence of special materials, stone and metal, the individual design and the high-quality processing give the works of art produced there a special expression.
In the last 15 years Bastian Müller, founder of Shona-Art, has made many friendships and partnerships in over 30 trips to Zimbabwe. He has built up a network of stone sculptors, wood artists and metal craftsmen. Gundara presents a selection of Shona-Art products for home and garden.
Shona-Art is aware of its social responsibility and recognizes the conventions of the WFTO (World Fair Trade Organization) and is a recognized supplier of the Weltladen Dachverband (in Germany). In one of the poorest countries in the world, Shona-Art is a vital business partner for many families. Shona-Art maintains fair prices and supports producers in Zimbabwe beyond direct business relations. Thanks to local employees and the personal connections established over the years, Shona-Art is able to maintain trade with Zimbabwe without neglecting the social aspect. For example, Shona-Art has established the association "FUNDO - Hilfe für das südliche Afrika e.V.". One success story is that a secondary school was built in the Gokwe District, and is now attended by over 300 students.