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Wonai_Haruperi©Michelangelo_Foundation
Wonai_Haruperi©Michelangelo_Foundation
Wonai_Haruperi©Michelangelo_Foundation
Wonai_Haruperi©Michelangelo_Foundation
Wonai_Haruperi©Michelangelo_Foundation

Nyari Kadhani-Gurupira

  • Savannah Pottery
  • Ceramicist
  • Melfort, Zimbabwe
  • Master Artisan
Nyari Kadhani-Gurupira Ceramicist
Contact
Shona, English
Hours:
By appointment only
Phone:
+263 778336651
Wonai_Haruperi©Michelangelo_Foundation

Dug clay for rustic African ceramics

  • • Nyari is a third-generation potter
  • • She uses locally dug clays and makes her own glazes
  • • For several years she taught pottery at tertiary and high school levels

It was not until she studied ceramics at university that Nyari Kadhani-Gurupira found out that she was a third-generation potter. Her love for pottery had been ignited during a school holiday spent at a local pottery studio. After university she taught ceramics for a few years, then with support from her parents and with her husband’s encouragement, she quit teaching to pursue pottery-making full-time. Working from a shed in her garden, Nyari opened her workshop in 2002. She defines her work as a combination of traditional African pottery and modern ceramics. She lives on a farm, which provides her with an endless source of inspiration and materials from nature. "There is so much to forage, incorporate or copy. You never run out.” This lends her work its signature rustic charm.

Read the full interview

Works

  • Wonai_Haruperi©Michelangelo_Foundation
  • Wonai_Haruperi©Michelangelo_Foundation
  • Wonai_Haruperi©Michelangelo_Foundation
  • Wonai_Haruperi©Michelangelo_Foundation
  • Wonai_Haruperi©Michelangelo_Foundation
Photo: Wonai_Haruperi©Michelangelo_Foundation
Slab built vessel

This slab built rectangular prism shaped vessel is formed from clay. The outer surface is etched with a grooved linear pattern. The vessel is pale oatmeal in colour, achieved using a handmade glaze made with titanium and zirconium oxides and with iron breakthrough from the terracotta clay.

Photo: Wonai_Haruperi©Michelangelo_Foundation
Squash me – Squeeze me

This decorative vase is wheel-thrown using terracotta clay. It is then squeezed and squashed by hand to give it a battered tin effect. The vase is finished with a homemade, roughly crushed cobalt glaze. This gives the vase different cobalt blue hues.

Photo: Wonai_Haruperi©Michelangelo_Foundation
Summer Leaves

These miniature plates are created by pressing leaves into wet clay. They are finished with homemade glazes that have been coloured with natural minerals: zircon (off-white), cobalt (dark blue), and copper and titanium (green).

Photo: Wonai_Haruperi©Michelangelo_Foundation
African Animal tiles

These square tiles are hand cut from clay. They feature a white glaze background and an image of the different animals found in Zimbabwe, hand painted using a cobalt glaze.

Photo: Wonai_Haruperi©Michelangelo_Foundation
Cobalt and titanium glazed

This vase is thrown using clay, then gently squashed while wet to give a soft look. It is glaze fired twice to 1250°C, first using a homemade cobalt glaze base layer, then covered with a homemade titanium glaze top layer.

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