Bernard Matemera was born in 1946. He was a founding member of the Tengenenge artists' village and spent his entire working life there. Matemera was also the artistic director of the community for many years. His grotesque sculptures were considered difficult to sell and were rejected by the director of the National Gallery in Harare, Frank McEwen. It was not until the 1980s that he was finally showered with national and international honors. Bernard Matemera was one of the main representatives of Zimbabwe's first generation of modern sculptors. His powerful sculptures, very African and sometimes grotesque, have a very emotional effect. His main motifs are: Animals, spirits, humans, creatures and the metamorphosis between them. Bernard Matemera said that a raw stone is like a banana, the end result is inside the stone and all he has to do is remove the outer skin. Bernard Matemera is considered one of the best stone sculptors of the present day. His works can be found in public and private collections all over the world. He died in 2002.

• 1968: Museum of Modern Art: New York / USA
• 1970: Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris
• 1985: Kresge Art Museum, Michigan
• 1986: Irving Sculpture Gallery, Sydney
• 1990: Musée National des Arts Africains et Occaniens, Paris; Millesgarden Museum, Stockholm
• 1991: Museum of Ethnology, Frankfurt
• 1992: Zimbabwe Pavilion, Expo 92, Seville
• 1998: Botanical Garden, Hamburg 
•  2000: The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (London)