Uganda’s visual art scene, like the country’s history, has been through turbulent times. In this feature Harry Johnstone explores the evolution of visual art in Uganda. Harry examines Uganda’s historical differences with other regions in Africa, visual artists’ reaction to post-independence political struggle as well as the work of several contemporary artists.
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Author: start
Art criticism and art history are in-exclusive of each other. In art-making, the artist usually produces a visual statement which in turn becomes the subject-matter for a response or reaction from the observer. In this sense, a work of art may be considered a language.
Read Dr. Abel Diakparomre’s article about this matter.
Sanaa Gateja is an artist truly designed for the 21st century. His ideologies of creativity are spot on the current global consciousness. Making art by recycling man-made waste materials. Empowering craftswomen all around Uganda by sharing his skills of beadmaking. Continuously improving his artwork or jewellery by constantly innovating. And combining art forms as different as music, fashion accessories, interior decor and visual art to express a holistic milieu where authentic African culture can be experienced. Not bad for a man whose artistic journey started in the late sixties.
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Henry Mzili Mujunga shows you, step-by-step, how to do Woodcut Printmaking using a Dark-to-Light Technique. Woodcut prints are usually strong, simple designs in monochrome or in just a few colors. Because of this, woodcuts have the advantage of being easy to reproduce, which made them a popular form of illustration before modern printing methods. Click here to learn how to print dark-to-light.
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“If I were a wealthy artist, I would buy all the second hand vehicles stocked away in bonded warehouses around Kampala and turn them into a massive mobile art installation. Do not ask me for details of the project for that would most likely lead to plagiarism.” Henry Mzili Mujunga speaks out.
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Qwela is an Afro fusion outfit that has taken the music scene by storm with their upbeat. The leader Joseph Kahirimbanyi commands a strong contingent of talented individuals who have the potential to change the arts scene as we know it. Samuel Tebandeke Lutaaya talks to the musician.
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The START-team is happy to say we have a new collection of articles ready for the readers in the beginning of February. Sign up as subscribers to get the next issue delivered to your email.
Read More >>We believe that Ugandan art is already interesting and that the real issue is one of making the art more accessible to both the national and international markets. The original concept for setting up Signature Art was to create a non-for
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Art needs patronage. This could be provided by people of modest income who buy art on a regular basis to decorate their spaces and to use as gifts. These abound on the Ugandan art scene. But how useful are these art buyers to an industry that demands major capital injection for its growth?
In this article, Henry Mzili Mujunga questions the role of the corporate sponsors of Arts in Uganda.
A cow. A boda boda. A woman carrying her child in a sling. A man pushing a wooden wheelbarrow. George Kyeyune sees extraordinary stories in ordinary events.
”If I can record these moments in time as permanent images. To engage my audience. To show you our history. To provoke you and challenge you about who you are. Then I have accomplished my mission as an artist”.
Ronex Ahimbisibwe shows you, step-by-step, how to first make a mould using fiberglass and resin, then cast a fiberglass piece of art from that mould. With these instructional videos, Start lets you get familiar with creative techniques.
Read More >>The recent Totems of Uganda painting project by Taga Nuwagaba was nothing short of a new testament of creative thinking and artistry put together. During the opening at the Uganda Museum, most patrons agreed that Taga had raised the bar of visual arts presentation: The more than 1,500 guests, the fanfare, and much more, was a far cry from what had come to typify art Ugandan exhibitions in a very long time.
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“Artists must become more visible and more aggressive in their social dealings. Their messages should become more provocative and defiant. The writers should take time to write about their own work and make sure it is published regularly.” Eria ‘Sane’ Nsubuga speaks out about the steady decline in representation of artist and message in Ugandan media.
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Proper organizational structures and control mechanisms to ensure clear accountability for resources received. These two aspects are needed if financial institutions shall provide for co-financing of the creative industries in East Africa.
Read More >>Start Journal will launch its fifth issue online. With the move to the Internet, Start aims to be an entry point for exploring East African Arts. But, of course, we can never beat the live experience at the galleries and
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Henry Mzili Mujunga chats with the curator of the Dutch Masters Today exhibition at the Uganda Museum and ponders how to start an “art epidemic”. The Dutch masters are here. Who’s excited? Is it Rembrandt or Van Gogh? Are Corneille Van
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Back in the day, many brave terrorists from south of the great lake tried to cross this devil’s corridor in pursuit of Evil-Fat- Daddy, but instead lost all their memory and all their programs in its red waters. Evil-Fat-Daddy escaped
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Henry Mzili Mujunga talks about Rolands (Birutsya) Tibirusya, a “live” artist whose ingenuity has brought philanthropic art to a refreshing new level in Uganda. “Instead of complaining about it, he has frankly embraced the wave of celebrity that has engulfed
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A Q&A with Pamela Kertland Wright, collector, writer and owner of Emin Pasha hotel as well as several other safari lodges in Uganda. “I think there is incredible talent here in Uganda. But sometimes it needs to be taken out
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George Kyeyune reflects on how the medium affects the message in contemporary Ugandan art. “Nabulime makes casts of male and female genitals in transparent soap into which she embeds dark seeds to look like infections. We all know that soap
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