New gallery to exhibit work by photographers

By Kalungi Kabuye UGANDA'S first photograph gallery opened its doors to the public on Monday. Part of the Web City Café, a newly opened Internet Café in the Neeta Cinema building along Kimathi Avenue, the gallery is intended to showcase the talents of local photographers. "We want to give Ugandan photographers exposure, and of course a chance to sell their work," Kenneth Lum, the marketing manager of Web City Café, told The New Vision on Tuesday. "Every exhibition will also be put on our web site so the works will be seen all the over the world." The gallery, which will eventually feature a coffee bar, has room for about a hundred pictures. Lum said they would prefer it if different photographers displayed their pictures simultaneously. Paintings and other works of art are on display in the main internet café, which seats about 45 people. Paulo Akiiki is the present curator of the gallery. Currently there are 14 pictures by freelance photographer Sue O'Connor. She presents several landscapes of Ugandan scenes, and some creative scenes of London. One of her most striking pictures is 'Sunrise on Lake Nabugabo.' Looking at the picture, one can almost feel the frigid loneliness of that misty morning on the shores of the Masaka lake. There is a picture of Awoja - Eastern Uganda giving a panoramic view of that river. There are also several studies of Kampala. Lum said O'Connor's pictures will be on show for eight weeks, because this is their first exhibition. Normally a show will last four to six weeks. O'Connor's pictures are 8" x 10". Lum said pictures presented can be any size, but preferably 8" x 10" or larger. Pictures vary in price according to the size of the photograph and the artist displayed. But, on average, they sell for around sh150,000, with the gallery taking 30% as commission - the standard rate. It will be up to photographers to decide whether their pictures feature on the Web City café web site, because it is possible to download the pictures and use them without permission. The photographer retains the copyright of the picture he has sold and no one is allowed to use it for any purpose without the photographer's permission. He called on photographers to avail themselves of this opportunity to not only sell their picture, but get exposed to a wide audience. The gallery will accept pictures on any subject, whether portraits, landscape or items of news interest. Ends.