The Man who turned into a Hippo.
A call for self-reflection.
By Nyadzombe Nyampenza
Change can be visible to others, and less so to the subject. Bernard Matemera’s sculpture Man turning into a hippo is a mythical creature. Neither man nor beast, it is caught in the middle of an alchemical process. It reveals the instability of human nature.
The man translating into a hippo looks like an overgrown baby. His malformed physical attributes seem like those of a fetus in the womb. Three fingers to a hand, and three toes on a foot are indicators that the subject is evolving into an animal. The creatures’ weird posture makes it look uncomfortable standing on two legs. There is a satirical sense of humor to its body’s unusual anatomical proportions. As if the artist was teasing the subject in playful mockery. The dark color of the stone gives the man a familiar and relatable complexion.
Human beings have a great capacity to transform themselves. This is demonstrated by such behavior as lifting weights for physical fitness, skin bleaching, and various types of cosmetic surgery. The need to recreate oneself may be spiritual, or psychological. Transformation is usually progressive and undetectable.
Sometimes the change is immediate and revolutionary. Matemera’s work is a study for the critical turning point. It raises difficult unanswered questions. Will this change be for good or evil? Curved in 1986, the solid form contradicts the transformative title. The adult size sculpture is installed along Julius Nyerere Way, outside the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. The work continues to invite speculation, almost two decades after the artist was deceased.
The myth of man turning into beast can be read as embracing of the totem, and immersion into its virtues. It may also symbolize regression towards the baser instincts. In Zimbabwe it is common practice to call a person any particular animal species. This can be an insult, or a traditional form of address. Matemera’s work presents the enigma.
- First published by NewsDay Zimbabwe.
