The Ancestral Threshold
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SculptureMaterial
StoneDescription
This Sculpture embodies the Shona understanding of life as a continuous passage rather than a fixed state. In Sampson Kuvenguhwa’s pre–Dry Tree Mapiti language, the figure is reduced to essential forms—an enclosing body, a bowed head, and a subtle opening that suggests transition. The sculpture does not depict a person, but a moment: the threshold between the visible and invisible worlds. The hollowed inner space represents the presence of ancestors, unseen yet central, while the enclosing outer form signifies protection, continuity, and lineage. The gentle forward lean evokes humility before ancestral wisdom, and the circular base anchors the figure in earthly existence. This work reflects Mapiti theology, where stone becomes a vessel for memory, spirit, and inherited identity—quietly affirming that the living walk alongside those who came before.Try it!
