Bulawayo will host a major stone sculpture exhibition celebrating Zimbabwe’s rich artistic heritage and native birdlife.
Ward 26 councillor and chairperson of the Bulawayo City Council finance and development committee, Mpumelelo Moyo, told Southern Eye Showbiz that the event would help strengthen the city’s creative economy.
“The exhibition, Birds of Zimbabwe, will run from September 18 to 25, 2026, at Kōri Studio, 16 Francis Warren Road, Ilanda, bringing together six emerging sculptors from across the country,” Moyo said.
“Hosting high-profile cultural events in Bulawayo is important for positioning the city as a major creative and economic hub.”
He said the city was grateful to host an event that reflects its rich cultural background while blending it with modernity in an upmarket studio.
“In the past, such events have been centralised in Harare, but the second republic has been rotating such events, which we welcome as a city,” Moyo said.
The exhibition will showcase Zimbabwean stone sculptures inspired by the country’s bird species, with works expected to include eagles, owls, hornbills and rollers.
Moyo said the programme would also feature triptychs and mixed-media works.
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The exhibition seeks to explore the relationship between Zimbabwean stone and the country’s indigenous birds while raising awareness about conservation.
Moyo said bringing such programmes to Bulawayo would have wider economic benefits, particularly through increased visitor spending.
“By hosting such events in the city, we constantly increase our GDP and per capita spend in the city,” he said.
“It also gives us exposure to learn about the great history of our country.”
Moyo added that the exhibition is curated by Talent Kapadza, a resident artist at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
He also welcomed the emergence of modern creative and hospitality spaces such as Kōri Studio, saying such developments could contribute to employment creation, particularly for young people.
“Again, we are also pleased to have such places as Kōri Studio being developed in Bulawayo,” Moyo said.
“It is a place built with such modernity which brings a vast variety of places where people can visit, relax and enjoy fresh meals.”
Moyo said the city needs more private-sector investment and stronger cooperation between the local authority and central government to accelerate development.
“Such cooperation quickens development, and that is what we are longing for as the City of Bulawayo so as to proudly claim our City of Kings status in a developed and modernised environment,” he said.
Lead curator and director at Kōri Studio, Tadiwanashe Muganyi, said they want to share a broader picture of the creative industry in the Southern region.
“We are celebrating our local artists from the Southern region to market themselves,” Muganyi said.
The exhibition comes as the city seeks to diversify its economy beyond traditional sectors and leverage its cultural heritage, tourism and creative industries as drivers of local economic development.
