Nommo Gallery: The home of Ugandan Art

Jan 28, 2005

UP the stately green hill it stands; old, tired, sandwiched between towering forest trees and staring down at the rest of town. As you climb Nakasero hill, on the way to Nommo gallery, you will most likely run out of breath. But you will not die.

By Stephen Ssenkaaba

UP the stately green hill it stands; old, tired, sandwiched between towering forest trees and staring down at the rest of town. As you climb Nakasero hill, on the way to Nommo gallery, you will most likely run out of breath. But you will not die.

It is a long, very lonely and boring walk to the cradle of Uganda’s visual arts, but a rewarding one; for here lives the history of Ugandan art. Here, the first visual artists in the country cut their teeth and laid a foundation for what is now a thriving trade.

“I remember the first time I exhibited here, it was in 1964. It was a very successful exhibition. I had just graduated from Makerere University. We were about six artists. Each of us exhibited on different subjects. I exhibited my best works including the burial of Christ, the herdsman and the storm, among others,” reminisces Prof Francis Musangogwantamu, one of the local artists to participate in the first art exhibition at the Nommo gallery.

As I make my way inside the small congested gallery, a life size painting dangling on the wall captures my gaze. It is an oil on canvas painting depicting two women, each carrying a pot on the head.

The two dark ladies (as depicted by their black painted faces and legs) with pieces of barkcloth wrapped around their fleshy waists seem to be on their way to the well. It is a realistic painting beaming with bright colours, enhanced with warm friendly earth hues and pampered with a barkcloth and cowrie shell lining.

But beyond the realism lies the true character not just of this work, but also of Nommo gallery — the character of Ugandan art.

In such works embedded with cultural symbolism, many visual artists have been able to find themselves both as creative artists and Ugandans. While the art exhibited at Nommo gallery transcends cultures, styles and approaches, many of the local art exhibitions held here bear a strong African character. Much of the work shown throughout the year is an artistic representation of African culture and life in Uganda.

Every passing day, all artists, explore and present the rich African culture through the use of local materials such as barkcloth, cowrie shells, beads, calabashes and other materials with strong cultural significance.

Borrowing themes and inspiration from local subjects, the work here confronts the daily challenges of life in Uganda — domestic violence, child abuse, moral decadence, corruption and poverty that torment our society today.

The work here blends both the contemporary approaches such as abstract painting, cubism, impressionism and local palette in a way that finds a common ground between culture and modernity.

The walk to this historical gallery feels like a long journey back to Uganda’s history. Established in 1964 by the Act of Parliament of Uganda National Cultural Centre of 1959, Nommo gallery derived its name from nommo, an Ibo word which means creator.

The gallery founded by Mrs Kasfer an American, who then lived in Uganda was first located at Plot 52 Kampala Road. Later, on November 15, 1968, it moved to its current home on Plot 4, Victoria Avenue, Nakasero.

It is here that Ugandan art found its first home. It is here that Ugandan art lives.

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