Lilian Nabulime's emotive sculptures at Afriart

PIC: One of Nabulime's art works titled 'kavuyo'. (Courtesy pictures)

ART

KAMPALA - An artist whose work you might look at over and over again and still feel that you have more to learn. That is Dr Lilian Nabulime, a lecturer at Makerere University and an experienced sculptor. Nabulime's art exhibition just opened at Afriart gallery on the Seventh Street Industrial Area. Another chance for her fans to reflect on life through her thought provoking images.

In the exhibition which opened on February 10 and will go on well until May, Nabulime uses provocative sculptures to document the different facets of life. Her work is mostly done in wood, especially the Mvule species - and probably the most hardened and lasting of wood materials.

Nabulime's seven beauties

Her work is symbolic but also executed with dramatic effect. Whether it is the daily struggles of life, environmental issues or documenting human feelings, Nabulime mostly uses the human figures to address different themes. Her work uses ordinary objects such as soap, sieves, cloth, mirror, metal cans, car metal parts, found objects to address various social themes.

Her images portray chiseled, smooth carvings with exaggerated features. The male figures portray strong masculine and prominent features, while the female ones showcase beautified made-up faces and rounder body frames.

Visitors at Nabulime's exhibition

In the human form, Nabulime celebrates the beauty of life and the diversity of our experiences. Her art seems to suggest that nothing is ever the same and in our different experiences lies the beauty (physical or otherwise) that defines our human experience. But what seems like beauty to some tends to appear odd or weird to others.

Nabulime's sculptures have tended to draw this much varied opinions and feelings as anyone what visits her current exhibition, will very soon realise. It is in the visual strength characterised by different shapes and metal plating of works like "fenin" or the miniature nature of her "faces and wood" series or the in your face-eye popping gaze in "the guardian" or the curvaceous nature of the "Seven beauties" . Whatever Nabulime presents evokes ideas of wonder, amusement and sometimes bewilderment.

Faces and wood clay