Burning In A Sea Of Flowers

Uganda Sun 14-02-2010

Burning In A Sea Of Flowers
By Sophie Alal

Afriart Gallery in Kampala describes itself as “a global distributor for original art by emerging talent.” Things have been a little less rosy after a recent downsizing – perhaps the economic downturn has gobbled up some art aficionados and buyers. Nevertheless it remains an important rallying point for young artists in Uganda.

Downstairs, the main exhibition hall features the emerging talent, 25-year old Ronnie Ogwang, with well-established contemporary artists, the 35-year old David Kigozi and the elusive Paul Ndema – both of whom are on show in the permanent collection.

These were mostly new paintings. Of these three young artists, Paul Ndema brings a sense of mystery and pathos; Ronnie Ogwang glorifies the female persona while David Kigozi renders the daily, domestic scenes, with unabashed delight.

Tucked away are a few hand-painted fabrics hanging on a rack. The wall next to it is hung with an impressive array of contemporary art gracing the short stairwell leading to the exhibition rooms upstairs, where the permanent collection spends its days.

Paul Ndema appears to get his inspiration from the illustrious style of Gustave Klimt, particularly in his use of elegant, golden, and colourful details. In his painting “Anxiety,” there are other likenesses to Klimt’s work such as the detail in the flowers bedecking a woman whose eyelids are shut.

Anxiety by Paul Ndema

^{Anxiety | Paul Ndema}

At the top left corner of the canvas, the glossy woman’s face is surrounded by a flurry of bright orange, golden and deep red flowers, the eyebrows arched into perfect bird’s wings. Red lips pursed, eyes so shut, she seems to be deader than alive, burning in a sea of flowers. Whatever the artist’s mood was while working, he offers scope for reflection and mystery in this piece.

This work looks rather painstaking. Pasted layers of colourful acrylics create multiple grades of texture on the painted surface, most notably on the fiery red background with patches of yellow and orange, the flowers detailed, each petal textured like an attempt at realism.

The nose is a problematic detail. The lighter tones on the bridge of the nose come out well, but misinterpret the wider area of the nose. The bright red used to define the lips makes them look like the swollen lips of a plastic doll.

Lastly his signature in black paint above an orange flower at the left hand corner distracts by unduly drawing attention away from the rest of the painting.

“City Ladies” by Ronnie Ogwang, is a portrait of two women. The woman on the right wears a big white headdress similar to the one worn by the second woman although hers is a light brown one with colourful green, orange and lilac geometric designs. The lady with the white headdress leans slightly towards the taller one, and the warm, reddish glow of her lips and cheeks mirror the taller woman’s lips. Below their giraffe-like necks, both are shimmering in colourful tunics helped with a liberal sprinkling of glitter.

Their aloofness is illustrated by the angle of the slightly bowed heads and unnaturally long necks. This together with their closed eyes portrays them as sensual beings - beings incapable of making sound, intellectual judgment; they have eyes but cannot see, or perhaps chose to keep them shut. Their garbs allude to luxurious indulgence, to pleasure. Save for being particularly graceful, there is really nothing more that lends character to them.

It might be a noble quest to try portraying women in a positive light, but it can sometimes send out the wrong signals. With paintings like this one, the irony is in the fact that it reinforces media stereotypes of city women; thin, beautiful, well-off and unencumbered with children and chores.

Ogwang’s other paintings also feature stylised women accompanied by graceful creatures like fish, giraffes, butterflies and beautiful decorations in soft colours.

The name of the author and title are very important in the identification of any work. But what if the artist deliberately gives no title to work in a bid to tease out interpretations from viewers? David Kigozi is one such artist. Kigozi takes his inspiration from everyday life, bringing with it a retinue of animals and birds.

After viewing his work, I ask the caretaker, “What is the title of that big mostly black and white painting of a child and older woman?”

She is still concentrated on the laptop on which the sound effects are drowning out my words. I repeat the question and add, “The one in the office upstairs, on the wall at the right hand side as you enter?”

She tears her gaze from the screen and tilts her head nonchalantly, looking at her colleague whose face is blocked by a laptop. “Hmm, I don’t know,” she says. “The artist did not title it but I would call it,” she continues, giving a couple of alternatives and finally deciding “…Woman and Child Telling Stories.”

The dark shadows in the background reveal roosters and chickens mucking about. In the middle-ground a child sits next to a woman. There is something clutched in the tiny hands and while the eyes and the temple are blurred over in characteristically dark brown. There is no mistaking the child’s brilliant white teeth cracked into a naughty grin, while the lady’s lips are twisted in a disapproving frown.

A controlled application of thick and thin paint was used to bring out the expressiveness of the subjects. The thick paint was used to define the features of the woman and child and highlight areas of colour such as the lady’s traditional head dress and gomesi – the broad, Ugandan national dress. Additionally the thin paint was used to soften up their features making them appear realistic.

The foreground was softened with broad warm tones of ochre and sienna. Chunky strokes of paint add highlights to what would otherwise be a dull painting.

Kigozi’s composition is quite fluent, for he is deft with his brush and successfully brings out the hearty exchange between his subjects.

“I was trying to capture one of the roles of the aunties in our society, and the drift of the current generation,” he says. “When one is told to go and visit the auntie, it becomes a laughable matter.”

The little child has a bright grin because of their divergent world view.

Kigozi comments on this painting, “when they talk about visiting the ssenga [an aunt who mentors young women in “life skills”], it becomes a laughing stock or a comedy yet it is serious.”

Kigozi never fails to sway his admirers with his realistic style, a very well-controlled rendering. In addition to that he also carries a good sense of depth and scale.

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