Ismael Shivute

Harmony, Ismael Shivute, Soapstone and reclaimed metal, sculpture, hand carved

2020

Ismael Shivute (b. 1988) studied Sculpture in the Department of Visual Arts at the College of the Arts. The sculptor has participated in many group exhibitions locally and internationally, and had a solo exhibition at the National Art Gallery of Namibia in 2016. Shivute’s mixed media artworks are inspired by his environment, often working with found or recycled materials drawn from the area in which he lives. He says, “As an artist I am only inspired by my environment, recycled or used materials and the feel of things made by hand… I feel that my art reflects a unique Namibian identity, as well as my own identity as a young artist struggling to survive in the world.” In recent years Shivute’s practice has expanded to include large scale metal sculptures made out of metal sheets and bars which he welds together to create figurative pieces. The sculptor also carves soapstone which is sourced locally from quarries on the outskirts of Windhoek. These soapstone sculptures are sometimes figurative but often abstract. The artist’s philosophical and meditative approach to carving creates artworks that are at once formally adept and intensely thoughtful. Shivute exhibited as part of StArt Art Gallery’s exhibition ‘Being Here‘ in 2017. He also formed part of the duo who exhibited in ‘Side by Side’, an exhibition curated by StArt Art Gallery, hosted at the Goethe-Institut, Windhoek in 2018. In 2022, Shivute held his most recent solo exhibition ‘I Keep My Circle Small‘, at Fresh ‘n Wild at Utopia, Windhoek. Collections: National Art Gallery of Namibia, John Muafangejo Art Centre (Namibia), Collection of the government of the Republic of Namibia, USAIDS (Switzerland), Tulipamwe International Artists Workshop Collection (Namibia), Omuntu Gardens (Namibia), Private Collections: Namibia, the Netherlands, USA