About ZimCarving
Stone creations that last.
A Zimbabwean sculptor, a family of carvers, and a home in Vancouver.
ZimCarving began with one sculptor's chisel in Harare. Today it brings the work of more than 50 Zimbabwean artists to collectors, gardens and homes across Canada.
Harare · Vancouver
Patrick Sephani · Founder & sculptor
Our story
Patrick Sephani started with off-cuts of stone.
Patrick Sephani grew up surrounded by sculptors. His older brother, Jim Sephani, was already a well-known carver, and in 1991, while Patrick was still at school, he picked up a chisel himself, working small off-cuts of stone in Tapfuma Gutsa's home studio.
In 1995 the sculptors Agnes Nyanhongo and Joseph Munemo invited him to become their apprentice. Over the next years he worked beside some of Zimbabwe's most respected names, Dominic Benhura and Collen Nyanhongo among them, and found his own voice: sculptures that marry the natural and the spiritual elements of the stone.
Read Patrick's profile →The road to Vancouver
Thirty years, three continents.
1991
First chisel
Begins carving in Harare, still at school.
1995
Apprenticeship
Trained under the mentorship of Agnes Nyanhongo and Joseph Munemo.
2004
Cape Town
Sculptor in residence at Boschendal Wine Estate, and teaching art in the Netherlands each year.
2008–2014
ZimSculpt
Seven years as an artist-in-residence at botanical gardens in the UK, Canada, and the USA.
2015
Vancouver
Patrick, Tinashe and their children make Canada home. ZimCarving is born.
Exhibitions & shows
Twenty years on show.
From a wine estate near Cape Town to the Chelsea Flower Show, Patrick has carried Zimbabwean stone to gardens, galleries and markets on three continents. These are the places it has been shown.
37
Exhibitions
5
Countries
20
Years on show
2015–2024
ZimCarving, Vancouver
9 shows
Patrick settles in Vancouver and ZimCarving is born. VanDusen Botanical Garden becomes a second home, with a show five years running, and in 2019 the sculptor Walter Mariga joins from Zimbabwe as resident artist.
2023–24
ZimCarving Art Studio
Canada
2020
West End Library
Canada
Pacific Art Market
Canada
2019
VanDusen Botanical Garden
Canada
2018
Bloedel Conservatory
Canada
VanDusen Botanical Garden
Canada
2017
VanDusen Botanical Garden
Canada
2016
VanDusen Botanical Garden
Canada
2015
VanDusen Botanical Garden
Canada
2008–2014
ZimSculpt, on tour
24 shows
As artist in residence with ZimSculpt, Patrick carves in front of visitors at some of the world's great gardens: the Chelsea Flower Show in London four years in a row, English country houses, and botanical gardens across Canada and the USA.
2014
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
USA
2013
Royal Botanical Gardens
Canada
Dow Gardens
USA
Naples Botanical Garden
USA
2012
Royal Botanical Gardens
Canada
Naples Botanical Garden
USA
2011
VanDusen Botanical Garden
Canada
ROCK'n ART: West Coast Native & Zimbabwean Sculptors Workshop
Canada
Loseley Park
UK
Chelsea Flower Show
UK
2010
World Art Market, Museum of Anthropology (UBC)
Canada
VanDusen Botanical Garden
Canada
Knebworth House
UK
Herstmonceux Castle
UK
Chelsea Flower Show
UK
2009
VanDusen Botanical Garden
Canada
Knebworth House
UK
Herstmonceux Castle
UK
Chelsea Flower Show
UK
2008
Knebworth House
UK
Herstmonceux Castle
UK
Bergh Apton Sculpture Trail
UK
Chelsea Flower Show
UK
Grand Designs Live
UK
2004–2007
The early years
4 shows
Before the tours: a sculptor in residence at Boschendal wine estate near Cape Town, and a yearly exhibition at Galerie de Buffel in the Netherlands.
2005–07
Galerie de Buffel
Netherlands
2004–05
Boschendal Wine Estate
South Africa
Planning a fundraiser or an exhibition? We organise shows indoors and outdoors, and would love to hear from you.
Get in touch →“Every sculptor I grew up with deserved to be seen as widely as I was.”
Patrick Sephani [placeholder quote]
Why we exist
Bringing the carvers' work to the world.
Travelling with ZimSculpt, Patrick saw how deeply people abroad responded to Zimbabwean stone, from the Chelsea Flower Show in London to VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver. He also knew how many gifted carvers at home never had the chance to show their work outside Zimbabwe.
So he began collecting sculptures from fellow artists to show alongside his own. When the family settled in Vancouver in 2015, that collection became ZimCarving: a permanent home in Canada for Zimbabwean stone sculpture, and a direct link between the artists and the people who love their work.
What we stand for
Three promises, kept in stone.
01
Chosen individually.
Patrick selects every piece himself, for its form, its finish and the character of the stone.
02
Close to the artist.
We know the sculptors personally, many of them for decades, and share their stories with every piece.
03
Cared for after.
Our work doesn't stop at the sale: we clean, repair, move and care for sculptures that last generations.
The artists
More than fifty sculptors. One tradition.
Celebrated masters and emerging voices from Guruve, Harare, Nyanga and beyond. Meet the hands behind the stone.
Meet the ArtistsSee the stone in person.
Visit our Vancouver collection by appointment, or join a carving workshop with Patrick.