The Weekly Observer (Kampala)
Dominic Muwanguzi
30 December 2008
Though the art exhibition dubbed "New African Art" at Makerere University Art Gallery got a lukewarm audience - the guests were mainly university art students - it turned out to be full of ideas for the budding artists. Bruce Muhumuza, Eva Kubula and Ibrahim Nsubunga showcased their innovations through different mediums.
The exhibition's opening on December 12 explored two major themes: darkness and free hand. In both themes, the artists go to great length to communicate and express their feelings; exploring different subject matters that are part and parcel of our daily life. Ibrahim for example, has a painting, Looking in the mirror, something we all love to do on a daily basis. He also has another he calls, Trumpeter. On the other hand, Eva's works are full of precision and creativity, blending leather and bark cloth in amazing ways.
When asked why they chose these two themes, Ibrahim - whose artistic name is IbraH - says, "We wanted to experiment; deriving colours from darkness something some artists overlook in their paintings. All the colours I use in my paintings were derived from dark colours." The dark shades in his work resonate with the darkness he alludes to.
Eva loves sewing. "Many artists do not hand-sew their work. They conceive an idea and then pass it on to someone with a sewing machine. This is lazy work, and should be discouraged," she said.
The guest of honour at the exhibition, Dr. Lillian Nabulime a sculptor said, "Many artists today are lazy and do not want to take on challenges. Eva has challenged many of them and I wish they could emulate her. In fact, I had never seen anyone doing free hand sewing on such a large scale in their artwork."
"Ibrah's work is really good. I can see some Picasso and Romano Luswata (deceased) in his paintings. I also appreciate the fact that he's not intimidated to do bigger tasks like that huge painting," Tikei Peter said in reference to the Trumpeter oil painting. Tikei is a photographer.
It is quite hard to define the style of both these young artists, perhaps because they are still fresh from the Michelangelo School of Art of Kyambogo University, and are trying out with as many styles as possible.
With such exuberance in talent, the evening was memorable and more people are expected to turn up since the exhibition runs until January 12, 2009 at the Gallery opposite the Margaret Trowel School of Fine Art.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The Weekly Observer. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
