Cry me a river.
Sculpture that confronts toxic masculinity.
By Nyadzombe Nyampenza
Trauma can come from war, poverty, or persecution. Gideon Gomo uses sculpture to work through his trauma and process difficult emotions.
Gomos’ work is informed by his experiences as a son, husband and father. His overstretched, contorted, and grimacing figures express feelings beyond words. Some of his figures are heads that are carved looking up as if in supplication. The perspective exaggerates the nose to eclipse the eyebrows. Their flared nostrils and gaping mouth convey a sense of choking and drowning.
One of Gideon’s pieces is titled from an authorial point of view, Ndirikupinda Nemo. The tag alludes to an unspecified journey, passage, or experience. It is an ambiguous expression illustrated with a disembodied head in a metal container. The stone head is surrounded by dreadful iron spikes, and the contraption is suspended in air like a bee hive. The terrifying piece looks like a sadistic torturing device.
From its grimacing pained expression the trapped head may look like it is crying . It cannot be certain, because a lot of men in Zimbabwe ascribe to the notion that big boys don’t cry. If it were, that would indicate a worst-case scenario. Either way, the sculpture depicts severe trauma. Something has to give.
[Ndirikupinda Nemo — Gideon Gomo, is in the solo exhibition Nhanga Nyaya. Curated by Raphael Chikukwa — at National Gallery of Zimbabwe]
