2004 - Phillip Kotokva - My Life in Stone Sculpture in Zimbabwe and Beyond

Copy signed by Phillip Kotokva

From the cover: 'Phillip Kotokwa has the ability to make stone seem like bronze, to somehow create the rough surface on the smooth stone like the best of sculptor who cast bronze. The surface of his stones shine, like a smooth pellet of hair, they catch the sunlight, they become sombre in the darkness. He has made a sculpture "Daughter in Law' which deals with the way a woman after marriage obeys not only her husband but his parents, becomes more of a 'Daughter in Law' than a wife. In his sculpture the polished stone has the sheen of healthy woman's skin, the already elegant shape and form of the stone work to the advantage of the subject of the sculpture. Phillip Kotokwa's time in the UK has made him reflect about sculpture, possibly more broadly and with wider terms of reference than some young sculptors. He has weighed up the advantages of making sculpture, over and above a regular source of income, He feels that a powerful imagination is decisive to the success of a sculptor working in stone; the way the imagination can round off a story, embellish the facts in such a way that the story becomes more interesting and absorbing to the viewer. There is no such thing as a "Daughter in Law' there are many daughter in laws in different situations and predicaments. There is no such thing as a 'Mother and Child' there are thousand, millions of mothers and children, each with their own circumstances and relationships.'

Collezione : Books and documents on contemporary stone sculpture in Zimbabwe