A love that dares, new space at Afriart gallery

It was a fine sunny Saturday afternoon, probably the best you could have had after a few rain soaked days. An unusually quiet detour off the tail end of 7^th Street in Kampala's so-called Industrial Area wove its way towards a busy warehouse; and there- to thuds of pop music, friendly banter and tiny glasses of red wine and yellow juice- love filled the air.

We were at the new home of Afriart gallery- https://goo.gl/mlBG6A willing witnesses to the unfolding of a new chapter in the now rich and long visual art story of one of Uganda's leading visual arts centres. We were here to witness the opening of a new exhibition space that will, in addition to the one in Kamwokya  host art exhibitions and other related events.

 Artists stand before Musoke's masterpiece "the rising sun"

"A love that dares"

This space was inaugurated with an art exhibition codenamed "A love that dares" in a show that uses powerful visual language to unpack love and its ability to challenge notions.

"This exhibition focuses on the temerity of love as discussed by some of Uganda's key artists. They explore possibilities for love to eliminate prejudices we face in these troubled times around the world. They present as a radical departure from the widespread emphasis on quantifiable action," Margaret Nagawa, the exhibition's curator said.

Ntensibe

Joseph Ntensibe uses his highly intricate designs to tickle our brains. While he presents three paintings at this exhibition, his masterpiece entitled "The Rising sun" takes centre stage. Ntensibe presents an intricate design that teems with bright yellow, blue-ish, green and brown triangular shaped objects that shoot into different directions.

It sort of appears like a whole canvass spread with multi coloured leaves. His work uses sharp geometric patterns and shapes to communicate vibrancy and energy. The presence of darker shades in here provide interesting contrast, perhaps pointing us to those shadowy ocassions that sometimes dim our bright  days; that seep our energy and often compromises love's positive influence.

The Rising sun by Joseph Ntensibe

This masterpiece was completed in 2016 and executed at a time when Ntesibe was going through different soul-searching moments in his own personal life. "I had been going through a debilitating sickness, he says. "That entire experience offered a whole new perspective on life and love…," Ntensibe who has since recovered says.

While Ntensibe's work can be interpreted different ways, it leaves you with that lingering feeling that amid the good, happy and bright moments of our lives lurks shadowy, painful dark times that we have to deal with. And yet, you are still left thinking that love and good conquers it all.

Ntensibe's collection also includes three other paintings named Waves,windows of icons and ribbons- all of which speak to his skillful application of colour and near poetic rhythm.

Sanaa Gateja

Next to Ntensibe's sunny masterpiece- a thick brown backcloth tapestry grips your gaze. It is by Sanaa Gateja- Uganda's renowned backcloth artist.

 Sanaa Gateja's work titled 'Paths'

 In this work entitled "Paths", Gateja charts the rich cultural journey that has turned the backcloth into such an important aspect of our material culture- literally stretching its significance from the old piece of fabric worn by our forefathers to a valuable piece of decorative art.

The path signifies a long journey of discovery and meaning making for a piece of fabric that many once associated with death.

Sanaa enhances this particular artwork with round and oval shaped patches, thin white threads that colourfully weave  their way onto a long dotted path across the entire tapestry. Sanaa who has worked with backcloth for decades shows the immense possibilities that this amazing fabric  offers not just for art but also for life.

His other displays showcase intense beady wall hangings dangling down the white gallery walls in a continuation of Sanaa's exploration of culture and nature.

The beads in his work, rendered in different shapes: circular, rectangular, oval and semi-circular pass on important messages in a piece that reflect movement both as an aesthetic attribute and as a contemporary socio-political phenomena.

Sanaa's life journey itself has been one long tale of movement from the Uganda Rwanda boarder where he first saw blacksmiths at work to Namutamba to Kampala to Zanzibar to Italy, to London where he studied and worked to Kampala and now back to Kisoro where he supports community women in bead making.


Thereza Musoke

Thereza Musoke tones things down a little bit in this exhibition. Her work mostly providing a black and white depiction of wild life in fine prints that show semi abstract images of different animal species: Bushbucks, elephants, buffaloes, antelopes among many others.

Musoke's palette depicts simplicity in execution that brings her subjects clearly to the fore in black ink, leaving a mostly white background dotted with tiny black spots to provide powerful contrast.  

 Theresa Musoke's giraffe painting

Musoke prefers not to say much about her work. "The process of making art is huge. If you tell people all about it, you put a limit to their imagination.

Musoke's vivid brushstrokes and distinct line work call for close observation and reflection because deep inside those strokes and lines powerful, even haunting layers of messages abound.

She belongs to the older generation of artistes, trained in Makerere and at the Royal College of art in London. She also taught at Makerere and Ntensibe, is one of her students.

Mira Nair and Zulaika Kingdon's films provide a historical perspective to this exhibition. In her well renowned film Missisipi Masala, Nair discusses how love prevails over adversity in a show where immigration and racial tension threaten to destroy a young couple.

Kingdon's documentary Visions and Dreams takes us back to the changing face  of visual art practice through the eyes of some of Uganda's most celebrated painters, sculptors and illustrators- in a journey laced with movement of time, circumstances and lessons that many art followers will find useful today.

In the end, Love has been dealt justice in this exciting exhibition, albeit in different ways.