Colleen Madamombe Born in 1964 Colleen holds a somewhat inspirational role within the stone sculpture movement as she is one of only a handful of women sculptors in Zimbabwe, and often considered the best. Her work adds a new dimension to the complexity of Zimbabwean stone sculpture through her commitment to a theme. She uses her technical and artistic skills to highlight the special qualities of Shona women, as well as to communicate the inequities that affect their lives and status. Her subject matter is deeply rooted in the traditional role of Shona women. Her powerful images, their energy and movement, the contrast of rough and polished parts of the stone, make her stone sculpture some of Zimbabwe’s most dynamic. She represents the voice of a new generation of Zimbabwean women. She declares, “I am inspired by the activity of women and I work hard to show this in my sculpture. In recent pieces I have used natural areas of the stone with rough workings to emphasise this movement – the texture follows the rhythms of the body. This contrasts with the more finished areas of the face and hands.” Her recent major works include; The Birth, Dancing Woman, and My Wedding Day. Some of these works, especially The Birth have been considered to be amongst the finest from Zimbabwe in recent years. The Birth is now part of the Chapungu permanent collection and was on show at the Expo 2000 in Hanover where it received much critical acclaim.