Royal Katiyo was born in 1972 in Murehwa in eastern Zimbabwe. He started sculpting as a schoolboy and his potential was spotted by established artist Luke Mugavazi, and Royal became Luke’s apprentice.
After a few years, Royal left the Mugavazi family to work with Anderson Mukomberanwa, son of the inspirational Nicholas Mukomberanwa, and an established artist in his own right. Royal continued to develop his own style as a sculptor and absorb artistic inspiration.
Royal is particularly well-known for his charming chubby sculptures of quails, finished using a clever technique (almost like pointillism) to give the impression of the birds’ feathers.
In 1996, Royal was selected to join the prestigious Chapungu Sculpture Park as a Resident Artist. He has represented Chapungu at various international exhibitions and workshops as their Invited Artist including:
- Artist In Residence, Group exhibitions at Missouri Botanic Gardens and Denver Botanic Gardens, USA (2007)
- Artist In Residence, Denver Botanic Gardens, USA (2004)
- Chapungu Exhibition, RHS Wisley, Surrey, UK (2003)
- ‘Custom and Culture: A Legend in Stone’, Kew Gardens, London, UK (2000)
His work has also been included in various prestigious exhibitions at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. Guruve are proud to represent him in the UK.
There are more super sculptures by Royal Katiyo available through our other company, the Shona Sculpture Gallery in Harare, Zimbabwe. Click on the link to see Shona Sculpture Gallery’s Masamba pieces.
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