Alberto Chissano, 1934–1994

Now recognised internationally, the sculptor Alberto Chissano only started carving when he was 29.

Before that, his life followed the normal course of any Mozambican peasant child: herding animals as a child, virtually no formal education, and then leaving for the city while still very young. There he worked as a domestic servant and cook, followed by a period in the South African mines.

Chissano’s story took a more individual turn when he returned from South Africa. After completing military service in the Portuguese armed forces, he found work as a cleaner in the artistic association “Núcleo de Arte.” Inspired by what he saw there, and supported by more experienced artists, he began carving and held his first solo exhibition in 1964. From then on, he never looked back.

Chissano normally worked in wood, though he also used stone and iron. According to Alessandro Zuccari, Chissano’s work is “not the product of a totally empirical and artisanal treatment, but stems from a capacity for creative synthesis which makes conscious use of the artist’s techniques and inventiveness.” He describes Chissano as “an eloquent example of the dialectic exchange between African and European cultures,” which gives his works their power and expressivity.

This strength — this ability to give life to inert logs — earned him many prizes, from the Lourenço Marques (now Maputo) Town Council First Prize in sculpture in 1966 to first and second prizes in Yugoslavia in 1981.

Chissano died in 1994 in Mozambique.

source: “Expo 92: 9 artistas de Moçambique”