BIO

Ernesto Shikhani was born in 1934, in the Muvesha region, Mozambique. Son of farmers, he was a shepperd until the age of 16.

Contemporary of Malangatana and Chissano, Shikhani started sculpting in the Art Nucleus (Núcleo de Arte), having had portuguese sculptor Lobo Fernandes as his master. In 1963, he becomes Professor Silva Pinto's assistant on Mouzinho de Albuquerque Industrial School. From 1970 he started dedicating himself also to painting.

In 1973, Shikhani is awarded a scholarship from the prestigious Gulbenkian Foundation which gives him the opportunity to study and work in Europe. In 1976 he moves back to Mozambique, where he stays for a couple of years teaching drawing classes. In 1982, he receives another scholarship and moves to the URSS.

Ernesto Shikhani has exhibited regularly since 1968 and his work is represented in the National Museum of Mozambique, in Culturgest's Modern Art Collection, and in several other important public and private art collections in all 5 continents.

source: "Africa e Mediterraneo" Magazine (09/2002)