What does a group of artists with backgrounds in different fields have in common when they come together to work on a topic as huge and as controversial as Gender Equity? Actress and creative mind Esteri Tebandeke reflects on a co-creation process initiated by Design Hub and Hivos.
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Category: Creative techniques
As a sculptor and eco-artist, Sandra Suubi is interested in materials found in a particular space and how she can use them in the construction of sculptures. In this essay she describes how she constructed a sculpture along the shores of Lake Victoria in Gaba.
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By Isaac Mugabi What is it like being an animator? Which skills does one need to thrive in the animation industry? These are questions I get asked quite often. Put simply; animation is drawings or images that appear to walk,
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By Erika Holum Ife Piankhi is a recent artist in residence at 32° East | Ugandan Arts Trust. Working as a performance artist, singer, poet, and creative facilitator for over 30 years, Ife has recently ventured into a creative practice
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Think back to that moment when you first realized the possibility of any art form. As a writer, I easily trace that back to reading as a child. I still believe that the worlds I explored through books, the lives I lived through books, have made all the difference in who I am and what I do as an adult. Gloria Kiconco attended the first ever Children’s Book Illustrator’s Exhibition at Design Hub Kampala.
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This paper presents the practical processes of remodeling and using a kiln in the Ceramics studio at the Margaret Trowell School of Industrial and Fine arts, Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. The effectiveness of a kiln is dependent on its design, ability to preserve heat by minimizing heat loss, and the capacity to be economical with fuel. The kiln in the ceramics department used waste oil for firing. During my postgraduate studies spanning 5 years in Japan, I studied and worked with wood kilns – building them and firing in them. Upon returning to Uganda in 2015 with this experience, I was able to identify some of the problems associated with Makerere Art School’s waste oil fired kiln and its hardships.
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“Art does not solve problems, but makes us aware of their existence,” sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz has once said. Arts education, on the other hand, does solve problems. Society needs people with skills to think creatively, innovate and to become critical thinkers and learners ready to solve everyday challenges. It is this understanding that has inspired Afriart Gallery to add an Art Education department to their existing scope of work.
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The Exhibition titled Bags that opened recently at Afriart gallery in Kampala is a continuation of the innovation, participation and interaction. The artist showcases bags in both small and big sizes with artworks emblazoned on their faces. Some of the images are abstract while others are semi-abstract with human figures and familiar motifs like the pair of fish wedged on canvas, the miniature human face parallel to the miniature standing human figure and the now popular KLA motif.
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On the weekend of June 14-15, two contrasting cultures came together under the umbrella of art to celebrate the life and times of Scottish explorer and missionary Alexander MacKay, who devoted his life to journeying through Uganda. Ugandan artists Sanaa Gateja, Xenson, and art curator Violet Nantume joined forces with Deveron Arts in Rhynie, Scotland, for a two-day event filled with creative activities centred on cultural integration.
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This collaboration between The Garbage Collectors project 2014 and Ugandan environmental artists is representative of socially conscious art. As such, it gives artists an opportunity to work with a variety of media and technique, at the same time extending their work to the public.
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“Performance art is for very strong people, in my view; you put yourself in a dangerous situation and are able to come out of it.” says Ato’o.
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On rare occasions in Uganda, an artist dares to challenge familiar representations of beauty. But, what happens when we display tragic, often horrific, experiences? What happens when human interpretation cannot be purchased? How does a curator work with artists and researchers to display the ugly side of the nation’s history? This article seeks to examine — from a curatorial point of view — the key issues that arise when we use exhibitions as spaces to expose an often forgotten war.
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This article could be used as a manifesto for the artist, or the filmmaker. It’s core objects are to stress the otiose pursuit for top gear equipment in filmmaking, and to reject the academia and long formal educations when it comes to creativity. This text is also a call to all artists out there, no matter the artistic area, to get together and start sharing ideas, discussing projects and team up.
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“However beautiful Ugandan craft products may be, it will be difficult for local artisans to succeed in a global market unless certain conditions can be met. … In my opinion, tight deadlines, consistent quality, innovation, committed partners, and good communication are fundamental to successful participation in global trade, over and above the products themselves.” Kirsten Scott writes about international craft collaborations.
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Can a writer earn a living in Uganda? Who is a writer anyway? Does a journalist qualify as a writer? Iwaya Mataachi has interviewed Ugandan writers Beverley Nambozo, Jackee Batanda, Akiyo Michael Kasaija, Joachim Buwembo, and Beatrice Lamwaka to find out.
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In the world of arts and culture nowadays, the term ‘heritage’ seems to be everywhere. Every country has its National Heritage, Tourist Guides are advertising World Heritage, and so on. If someone referrs to ‘heritage’, is it about preserving traditional knowlegde or is it about making money? What is this ‘heritage’ all about? Does an artist inherit something? Or a people?
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Next out in the category the Story Behind an Artwork, we have interviewed one of the leading contemporary Ugandan artists, Joseph Ntsensibe, about his work ‘Disappearing Forests’ (2011). Read about why and how Ntensibe created this one piece of art which responds to the topic ‘environmental protection’.
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In this new category of articles, Startjournal.org will present the Story Behind an Artwork. We will be interviewing leading East African visual artists about one particular work of art, trying to explain their reasons for and struggles with creating that one piece of art. First out is the Ugandan watercolor master Taga Francis Nuwagaba and his recent painting ’Changing Kampala’ (watercolor on paper, 2011) .
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Curation can be described as the sorting and presentation of work/art for presentation to an audience. Its role is pivotal to the reception of work from the artist or gallery to the target audience, and it plays a major role in the success or failure of selling work. Photographer Roshan Karmali gives you some key ideas if you want to curate your own artwork.
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In this creative technique, Jjuuko Hoods will show you how to prepare a piece of bark cloth with a mixture of charcoal powder, sweet potato leaves and acrylic paints.
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