Bernard Matemera
Born 1946 in Guruve. Bernard passed away in 2005.
Bernhard Matemera is a founding member of Tengenenge and has been for many years the symbolic leader of the community. His uncompromising and powerful images are now found in public and private collections throughout the world.
Very African and sometimes grotesque in imagery, his works are initially difficult to assimulate but are often disturbingly emotive and imbued with a deep sense of pathos. They are the subject matter of his dreams: animals, spirits, people and creatures, and the ever present matamorphosis between them. Definitive works include Blind Man, Great Spirit Woman, The Man who ate his Totem and Chapungu. Highly acclaimed, he has been described as amongst the best stone sculptors of our times.