Born in 1975 in Maputo, Mozambique. Lives and works in Maputo.
Gonçalo Mabunda’s work is dedicated to preserving the memory of his country. Having grown up amid the tragic civil war that devastated Mozambique from the mid-1970s until the early 1990s, he uses weapons as the primary medium for his artworks. Seven million weapons were collected and hidden throughout the country. Here, art becomes a duty: the duty of remembrance. He works at the Núcleo de Arte studio and participated in the Transforming Arms into Art project in 1984.
For several years, Gonçalo has continuously explored the motif of the throne, alluding to the Western world’s fascination with collecting chiefs’ thrones as objects of traditional African art. The throne also serves as a critique of contemporary African governments, which too often manipulate armed violence as a means of consolidating their power. Yet the striking and beautiful objects he creates also convey a positive reflection on the transformative power of art, as well as the resilience and creativity of African civil societies.
Collections: Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Public Art Norway, Norway; Provincial Government, Norway; Army Museum, Netherlands; Army Museum, Sweden; Vatican Museums, Vatican City; Projustitiae Foundation, Portugal; International Sculpture Park, China; National Museum of Uruguay, Uruguay; Tempietto del Carmelo, Italy; Saint-Étienne Museum, France; Musée International des Arts Modestes, France; Mémorial de Caen, France; National Museum, Mozambique; Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), USA; Brooklyn Museum, USA; Parque da Devesa (Famalicão), Portugal; African Artists for Development, France; Victoria and Albert Museum (Acquisitions Fund), United Kingdom.