Painted tin animals are a unique form of recycled art, with the pieces being made from scrap metal and old soda cans. These pieces represent the wildlife the artists grew up around and were inspired by.

The Improved Arts Metal Sculpture Project was started in 1986 by five brothers. Having discovered their artistic talents, they founded the group to depict African natural history through metalwork and to make a better living. Old tin cans and other scraps of metal from businesses in the industrial area of Harare are turned into these delightful sculptures by these artists using snips, pliers, and hammers. They depict animals familiar in Zimbabwe, such as the nyati (buffalo), nzou (elephant), and shumba (lion).