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Tawanda Marwizi  Arts Correspondent
Artists are role models in the society and they have an influence on behavior change among young people.
Mostly youth draw their inspirations from musicians, visual artists and painters. That was the case for Venassa Rangisse when he worked as a builder at renowned sculptor Richard Mteki in Highfields some years back.

The two would talk until Rangisse got his inspiration from Mteki.

According to the sculptor who is based in Chiweshe, Mteki taught him how to earn a living through art.

Working according to the instruction, Rangisse made his first artwork in 1987 and sold it for a lot of money. The sculptor whose works speaks volumes of our culture said artists have a big role to play as they do not hold cultural values only but inspire people.

“We have a lot to do because we shape the society so art can play a big role in behaviour change.”

Rangisse who made his third appearance at the just ended Harare International Festival of Arts said it was good for artistes to send good message to the society.

For him HIFA is a plartform to sell artworks as well as exchanging notes with other artists.

“This festival is good for us and we have to keep on making good artworks that can put us on the international map,” he said.

His works are made up of spring stone, opal and compounds. Among them there is a piece that has hands joining together symbolising peace. Apart from his stone works there are also wood pieces that explore different cultural themes.

“I buy the wood from Victoria Falls and transport them to Chiweshe where I work. People usually love these works made of wood,” he said.

He said after some previous exhibitions at HIFA he managed to create a database of clients who appreciate his works.

“They come to Chiweshe to buy my works,” he said.

He believes artists should persist working on individual pieces instead of just reproducing the same things.

“Copyright must be enforced in visual arts. That would make the industry grow because we would be competing to make the best that stands out from the rest,” he said.