Samson Mudzunga

Biography

Samson Mudzunga was born in 1938 in Shanzha, Dopeni in Venda (now Limpopo), where he continues to live and work. His family is from the area around Lake Fundudzi which in Venda mythology is regarded as a sacred site. A self-taught sculptor and carver, his first figurative sculptures were included on an exhibition at the Fuba Gallery in 1988. He started carving the huge drums for which he has become well-known in the mid-1990s. In the forms of these drums, Mudzunga incorporates symbolism from the mythology and traditional customs of the Venda people to both explore these customs and question issues of power, in particular, the power relationships existing within his community.

Mudzunga has been widely acclaimed in recent years. The Johannesburg Art Gallery held a solo exhibition of his work in 2003 and his drums were included in the South African group exhibitions New Identities in Bochum, Germany (2004); Personal Affects: Power and poetics in contemporary South African art at the Museum for African art and the Cathedral of St John the Divine, New York (2004), and The Contemporary Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii (2006)l and Turbulance at Hangar 7 in Salzburg, Austria (2007).