In the wake of great assault, human beings are sometimes able to create not only the most beautiful but also the most ironic creations from these experiences. From a man who witnessed bloodshed and destruction during his country’s civil war, artist, sculptor and peace activist Gonçalo Mabunda has found not only success but significance in his work. He has been profiled and hailed as one of Mozambique’s most significant artists today and has also broken ground and received international recognition for his work.    

The year 1975 ushered in Mozambique’ independence from Portugal and on the 1^st of January that same year was when Mabunda was born. In two years, the country would descend into a civil war which would last close to sixteen years, claim over a million Mozambicans to killings and starvation and result in the displacement of over five million people across the region. The war came to an end in 1992 leaving behind a weakened economy and destroyed infrastructure. The end of the war also left behind piles of AK47s, rocket launchers, pistols and other instruments of war. It was from this destruction that Mabunda’s work and activism bloomed from. 

After training in Durban, South Africa he participated in the ‘Transformation of Weapons into Art Objects’ project spearheaded by the Christian Council of Mozambique. The Council had set out to transform the weapons left over from the war into works of art. Since he began welding, Mabunda has had his work exhibited in the Mori Art Museum (Tokyo), Museum Kunst Palast (Dusseldorf), Pompidou (Paris) and Hayward Gallery (London). He holds the distinction of being the first Mozambican artists at the Venice Biennale in 2015. 

The artist work often includes intricate masks and thrones. The thrones are said to function as attributes of power, tribal symbols and traditional pieces of ethnic African art. He witnessed the atrocities of war first hand and hopes that his work is able to prevent his nation from going to war again. “War is a situation in which only a small group of people decide how we live,” he once shared.

With current state of the world, a call for peace is more than welcome. Sometimes it does not have to be a political speech or a presentation to a great audience. Mabunda had shown that art can be a call to peace and change. His work is available for viewing and purchase around the world and online.