Bata
Moçambique
Bata is the artistic pseudonym of Manuel Fernandes Bata, born in Maputo in 1958.
In the 1980s, under the influence of friends, he began sculpting objects in wood and iron, using alternative tools. He was part of the artistic arm that shaped the post-independence revolution in Mozambique. Due to the originality of his line and the strong personality of his works, he stopped producing only for the fairs at the Praça 25 de Junho and started sculpting for solo and group exhibitions, and since then his name has been heard in the Mozambican art scene and beyond. Since the 1990s he has been teaching sculpture and ceramics, initially to at least 20 young aspiring artists from the Albazine neighbourhood and the city of Matola. He currently hosts a class of 10 artists at his studio in Marracuene for classes in iron and wood sculpture, and is a founding member of the Mumemo Artisans Association.
In the 1980s, under the influence of friends, he began sculpting objects in wood and iron, using alternative tools. He was part of the artistic arm that shaped the post-independence revolution in Mozambique. Due to the originality of his line and the strong personality of his works, he stopped producing only for the fairs at the Praça 25 de Junho and started sculpting for solo and group exhibitions, and since then his name has been heard in the Mozambican art scene and beyond. Since the 1990s he has been teaching sculpture and ceramics, initially to at least 20 young aspiring artists from the Albazine neighbourhood and the city of Matola. He currently hosts a class of 10 artists at his studio in Marracuene for classes in iron and wood sculpture, and is a founding member of the Mumemo Artisans Association.
