Gonçalo Mabunda (Mozambican, born 1975)


Throne weapon parts and welded metal128 x 96 x 67cm (50 3/8 x 37 13/16 x 26 3/8in).
|Goncalo Mabunda was born in Maputo in 1975, the same year that Mozambique gained independence. Civil war broke out only two years later, and would continue to ravage the country until 1992. The artist's formative years were thus coloured by extreme violence and bloodshed. Seven million guns, rocket launchers and grenades were amassed in this period. By the end of the civil war, Mozambique was littered with weapons, prompting the Christian Council of Mozambique to establish an initiative aimed at clearing the streets of these arms. Many of the stockpiles were destroyed, but some were handed over to an artist's collective who disassembled the weapons and transformed them into public sculpture. The initiative received international coverage, and launched Mabunda's (one of the principle figures) career.Mabunda is established on the international art scene, exhibiting at Museum Kunst Palast in Dusseldorf, the Hayward Gallery in London, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, and the Johannesburg Art Gallery, among others.