Sculptor and teacher Gerard Motondi is making waves for his mastery in boulder sculpting, leaving his creative imprint on numerous cities across the globe.
Motondi was born in Tabaka, Kisii, the home of one of Kenya’s oldest traditional handcraft industries and the renowned center for soapstone. When he was younger, making models of fish, birds, and other animals helped Motondi acquire the art of soapstone carving, which he is still passionate about.
Another career path he has steadfastly adhered to, Motondi was among the first group of teachers in the nation to assist in incorporating fine arts education into the national curriculum in the mid-1980s.
The Kenyan sculptor made history when he emerged victorious in an Olympic Torch Award fine arts competition held on the margins of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, sponsored by the International Olympic Committee.
The judges were astounded by Motondi’s two-meter-tall artwork, “Inseparable,” which featured two fish wrapped in an embrace and represented harmony as the enduring spirit of the greatest spectacle in sports.
Defying the customs of the Kisii people, where women were primarily responsible for gathering and moving stones, the trailblazer has long since made it a point to teach women how to carve soapstone.
He told TRT Afrika, “Women make beautiful sculptures, and their designs sell well beyond the usual tourist markets. Sculpting by women has also boosted the incomes of many households.”
Motondi hosted a cultural symposium named “African Stones Talk” in 2011 to allow local women to demonstrate their skills and train alongside other specialists in the industry.
Additionally, he has trained mining personnel by “combining the academic, cultural, and business perspectives,” which has helped decrease the industry’s death rate.
Recently, three sculptures by other artists honoring Kenya’s champion athletes caused Motondi’s name to suddenly trend again on social media.
Kenyans questioned why the 59-year-old seasoned sculptor was not asked to create the sculptures.
Motondi told the outlet, “The common refrain was: How can such a thing be allowed? But then, nobody from the government or the sports ministry reached out to me to make statues in honor of our athletes.”
Numerous Kenyans demanded that the problematic sculptures be taken down and that Motondi be allowed to create replacements that were worthy of the sportsmen being honored.
Since then, government representatives have gotten in touch with the well-known sculptor to commission him to produce pieces of art worthy of the national athletes whose excellence is being set in stone.
Today, Motondi has created about 25 sculptures in many countries throughout the world, such as Turkey, Russia, Canada, the U.S., India, South Korea, and the UAE. His “New Life” marble sculpture can be found in the southern Turkish city of Mersin.
He was also a member of a group of artists called to Dubai from all over the world in 2008 to make marble sculptures at the location where the world’s tallest building—the Burj Khalifa—now stands.
Despite his many worldwide achievements, Motondi remarked, “My goal is to continue creating sculptures and monuments that can beautify cities all over the world. I also hope to start an academy to continue training people interested in sculpting.”
