On May 14, 2022, the city council of Carmel - a suburban city in Indiana State, USA with a population of approximately 100 000, held a public art sculpture unveiling ceremony of a new stone sculpture by Zimbabwean artist and sculptor Dominic Benhura titled Swing Me Higher, Mama. The main subjects of Benhura's sculptures are families.
Benhura typically sketches his ideas and then visits the quarry to choose the best stone to use. He then goes to the studio with the material and gets to work, discarding the sketch and relying on imagination and intuition to complete his piece. Often saying “It is now between me and the stone.”
The art sculpture was installed at the intersection of Main Street and Veterans Way in the Arts & Design District in the presence of Carmel City Council President Kevin "Woody" Rider, Clay Township Board Member Mary Eckard, sculptor Dominic Benhura, Jayne During, owner of Kuaba Gallery, members of the Carmel Public Art Advisory Committee, the Mayor's Advisory Commission on Human Relations, and other City officials.
May 14, 2022, was then declared Dominic Benhura day by the Mayor of Carmel City, James Brainard
Dominic Benhura's relationship with the city started at Kuaba an art Gallery located in Carmel City's Arts & Design District where his works are regularly displayed and sold.
Back in February 2022, at the beginning of Black History Month, Dominic Benhura's works along with painter Chika Edu of Nigeria were recognized on MarthaStewart.com
Born in 1968, in Murehwa, Benhura is one of Zimbabwe's most renowned artists who turned to sculpt full-time upon the finish of his schooling despite having no formal training. His unique style brings new elements to traditional African sculpture, adding color and materials such as glass and metal. . Benhura is considered to be part of the second generation of Zimbabwean stone carvers
Dominic has had many solo international exhibitions. He also has large works displayed in public spaces such as airports, parks, and museums in the US, Italy, Belgium, Germany, and Australia. His work is renowned for its trademark architectural simplicity, which he studied briefly, and for the exceptional ability to express emotion through form rather than facial expression, which he leaves unformed to heighten the universality of humanity.
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| Dominic Benhura with the Swing Me Higher, Mama Piece |
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