Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu’s statue was recently added to Cape’s Long March to Freedom exhibition at Century City.
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It was unveiled in front of a large audience that included the Tutu family in during an emotional ceremony.
City artists Cristina Salvoldi and Tania Lee are responsible for the life-sized statue that weighs 158 kilograms.
They had support from the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation allowing them to draw on resources such as robes, video footage and hand casts.
According to News24, the sculpture which takes about four to five months took a few weeks to complete so that it could be unveiled in time for Human Rights Month; the maquette and the details such as age, posture and accessories took the majority of the time during production.
The sculpture which is based on happy images of the late archbishop taken when he was in his 60s after chairing the Truth and Reconciliation Committee was cast by the Loup Fine Art Foundry in Mpumalanga’s White River.
“We thought about what we wanted to portray and what he represented. We wanted him to be joyful and welcoming,” said Lee
The images had common features such as the cardinal robes, wide smiles and stretched-out arms and the artists decided to capture these moments in one statue.
‘Every time he did this pose, his fingers did a very specific thing. That’s something you pick up when you look at photos. You’re trying to get those personal details in,’ addedSalvoldi.
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Picture: @TheTutuLegacy / Twitter