Atal speaks out in Weapon of Freedom
Sep 25, 2003
SHE may not have lived in West Africa before, but her knack for West African art is alluring. <br>Stella Mercy Atal, an interior designer is holding her first solo exhibition at Afri Art Gallery at Lugogo UMA show grounds
By Stephen Ssenkaaba
SHE may not have lived in West Africa before, but her knack for West African art is alluring.
Stella Mercy Atal, an interior designer is holding her first solo exhibition at Afri Art Gallery at Lugogo UMA show grounds.
The exhibition, which opened early this month, is on until the end of the month.
Though she is an interior designer, Atal has also ventured into painting, displaying a collection of paintings in the acclaimed West African Kente style.
Atal might have employed the West African style of painting but her themes are purely local, war and suffering, the lifestyle of the Ugandan rural communities and their neighbours as well as other social injustices that plague society today.
Through the exhibition entitled Weapon of Freedom Stella seeks to express her emotions. First her passion for art but more importantly her desire to reach out to those who have gone through untold suffering at the hands rebels in the North and North East of Uganda, where she hails.
This comes out well in one of her paintings The Victim, showing one person beating up another, as the victim helplessly pleads for mercy.
“My art is my life. My art gives me the freedom to express my feelings, my fears, sorrows and joys. It gives me joy when people appreciate it,†she says.
She uses dark hues such as black and navy blue to symbolise the hard times the war victims are going through and bright shades like yellow, white and orange to symbolise hope and a bright future for them.
Using stick images, Atal paints a vivid picture of life in the countryside, the images of slender dark skinned men and women, with long necks engaging in different activities.
Stella’s strongest weapon is her ability to blend triumph and tragedy by her tactical, albeit careful application of colour and contrast.
Nearly all her paintings are graced by the black colour, which, apart from symbolising the dark times of some sections of Uganda’s society, also stand for the colour complexion of most Ugandans.
Using collage and patchwork, she applies wax and watercolour to create memorable images while applying clear black borders, gold finishing and smooth sponging.
Her ability to combine various media to come out with great images comes out well in a good number of her works.
Even though her works are free of clutter, the abstract nature of most of them makes it hard for an ordinary viewer to appreciate.
The presence of African motifs in many of her paintings gives Stella’s work more outward and continental appearance as depicted in the various symbolic images such as geckos, lizards, fertility dolls and masks.
SHE may not have lived in West Africa before, but her knack for West African art is alluring.
Stella Mercy Atal, an interior designer is holding her first solo exhibition at Afri Art Gallery at Lugogo UMA show grounds.
The exhibition, which opened early this month, is on until the end of the month.
Though she is an interior designer, Atal has also ventured into painting, displaying a collection of paintings in the acclaimed West African Kente style.
Atal might have employed the West African style of painting but her themes are purely local, war and suffering, the lifestyle of the Ugandan rural communities and their neighbours as well as other social injustices that plague society today.
Through the exhibition entitled Weapon of Freedom Stella seeks to express her emotions. First her passion for art but more importantly her desire to reach out to those who have gone through untold suffering at the hands rebels in the North and North East of Uganda, where she hails.
This comes out well in one of her paintings The Victim, showing one person beating up another, as the victim helplessly pleads for mercy.
“My art is my life. My art gives me the freedom to express my feelings, my fears, sorrows and joys. It gives me joy when people appreciate it,†she says.
She uses dark hues such as black and navy blue to symbolise the hard times the war victims are going through and bright shades like yellow, white and orange to symbolise hope and a bright future for them.
Using stick images, Atal paints a vivid picture of life in the countryside, the images of slender dark skinned men and women, with long necks engaging in different activities.
Stella’s strongest weapon is her ability to blend triumph and tragedy by her tactical, albeit careful application of colour and contrast.
Nearly all her paintings are graced by the black colour, which, apart from symbolising the dark times of some sections of Uganda’s society, also stand for the colour complexion of most Ugandans.
Using collage and patchwork, she applies wax and watercolour to create memorable images while applying clear black borders, gold finishing and smooth sponging.
Her ability to combine various media to come out with great images comes out well in a good number of her works.
Even though her works are free of clutter, the abstract nature of most of them makes it hard for an ordinary viewer to appreciate.
The presence of African motifs in many of her paintings gives Stella’s work more outward and continental appearance as depicted in the various symbolic images such as geckos, lizards, fertility dolls and masks.