Stephen Ssenkaaba
1 January 2009
Kampala — DARE to touch! the woman in the painting seems to suggest. She is almost naked, except for a piece of white lingerie.
This is one of the paintings at the entrance to Nommo gallery.
It is an attention- grabber for its smooth, simple mild colour composition. It is also weird, for its exaggerated features especially the long neck and uncharacteristic oval eyes.
Godfrey Banadda, the painter, plays on colour and form to make his views about beauty known and also to communicate a few of his ideas about women. Yet, I feel that this lecturer of painting at Makerere University fails to deliver this work within the right context of this exhibition.
The exhibition, which opened on December , runs under the theme "Art and culture". It is an artistic attempt to document cultural values through colour and artistic imagery.
Banadda's work presents interesting ideas that do not necessarily draw inspiration from our own cultural heritage.
Other artists have successfully showed the various aspects of culture. Hoods Juuko's work, for example, stands out for its cultural resonance.
With barkcloth, he rekindles the cultural importance of this exhibition and maintains its contemporary feel.
Much of the work on display is set against rural backgrounds, activities and landscapes.
Artists use the human form, landscapes and atmosphere as their tool to deliver their messages. In a way, this exhibition explores and embraces different cultures in and outside Uganda.
There is a sense of Africanness about it that makes it relevant and interesting.
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