Tuesday 3 October 2017

MARAL BOLOURI WINS TOP PRIZE AT L'ATELIER 2017

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Iranian-artist-tackles-taboo-gender-topics-/-/1248928/2857130/-/sagou6z/-/index.html. Margaretta's review of Maral Bolouri's 2015 exhibition at Kuona Trust.
 MARAL'S MOTHERS AND OTHERS' INSTALLATION WINS HER TOP AWARD AT L'ATELIER 2017 AND 6 MONTH RESIDENCY IN PARIS

BY Margaretta wa Gacheru (posted October 3, 2017)

Maral Bolouri is a Kenya-based visual artist who is currently exploring issues of gender and identity in her art. That is how she arrived at creating her award-winning ‘Mother and Others’. Her carefully researched installation focused on women’s portrayal in African Proverbs won first prize at APSA-Barclays’ ‘L’Atelier’ 2017. Maral studied painting at the Art University of Tehran and earned a Master’s degree in International Contemporary Art & Design Practice from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in Malaysia. She has exhibited her art in Iran, Kenya, USA, Belgium, South Africa and Malaysia. Her studio is at Kuona Trust and she’s lived in Kenya for the last five year. Her ‘L’Atelier’ award includes a six-month residency at Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris plus a substantial cash prize.

(Disclaimer: the questions to Maral were revised by my editor)
Q:  Has your life always been in art?
Maral: Please let’s do away with this narrative of ‘I was always an artist because I drew when I was a kid.’ Of course, every child draws if you give them art supplies.
I made my mind to study art when I was 17. I did my degree in painting, but right after I graduated I stopped practicing for two to three years. I continued when I started doing my masters. 
What inspired you when doing the artwork that won at the 2017 LAtelier awards?  
MB: The inspiration was the status and treatment of women in Kenya. Kenyan women contribute to Kenyas culture and economy, but they are often side-lined by the patriarchal system which is constantly reinforced through oral tradition. I chose proverbs as the contextual framework, because I believe they are still used to put women down.  
How did you decide to design the art installation as you did? 
MB: It was a long process. It took a year and a half from the time I started doing research on proverbs until I finalized the structure. The final installation is the result of continuous sketching and discussions with my husband Mwini Mutuku, Craig Halidy my research partner and Margarita Raysberg my consultant. 
What materials did you use?
MB: The installation is made of wood and iron cowbells.
In general, what is your style? If more than one please describe?
MB: As a visual artist I tend not to limit or define myself with [one] medium or a particular mode of expression. I am interested in stories, issues that I find worthy of dialogue and discussion. 
You researched African proverbs and how those adages portray women for some time. How many countries proverbs did you examine?
MB: Craig and I reviewed a body of literature focused on proverbs, mainly African proverbs about women. Amongst them, there were proverbs from Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia, etc.
From the research, who is an African woman?
MB: As Margarita Raysberg puts it, the proverbs overwhelmingly portray women as helpless imbeciles, except for when the sayings espouse women’s reproductive potential as mothers.
Did the research and the art that has emerged from it, impact you personally? If yes, how?
MB: I think every project I have done so far as an artist has helped me grow in one way or another and Mothers and Others is no exception. Through this project I had the privilege of working with artists and academics who massively contributed to the realization of the work. 
What does winning first prize at this years LAtelier mean to you? 
MB: I am proud to have brought it home to Kenya. Winning this award is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for any artist to further develop their artistic practice. I thank Absa, and the whole team of LAtelier 2017 art competition.
From the research, you found very few positive proverbs and what were they? You placed inside what was called an altar or shrine? Why did you put them there?
MB: The positive proverbs are not a few, although in comparison to the general proverbs, they stand as a small portion. The altar is a metaphor for motherhood. The piece explores why women are only valued as human beings when they reproduce. 
If you were to have a drink with two artists, local or foreign, who would they be?
MB: Tracy Emin and Shirin Neshat.  
The idea of making a living from art for most Kenyans is still distant. Most parents want their children to study engineering, medicine or law. What would tell them?
MB: I would say please watch all 6 episodes of We must free our imaginations by Binyavanga Wainaina on YouTube. Binyavanga says: I want this generation of young parents to have their kids see Africans writing their own stories, painting their own stories…” 
When we speak of art we usually talk about the mere act of production, but art begins way beyond that. Art begins with imagination, creativity and autonomy. If we do not educate creativity out of our future generation, if we are not scared of trying new things, we will allow every individual to flourish, then it does not really matter if you are a lawyer, a designer or a craftsman.  
African art is so hot right now, but are Kenyan artists positioning themselves to make big money from the growing global demand? 
MB: I understand that everybody is interested in knowing how much money Kenyan art is making. Although I dont think that should be our focus. Kenyan art is definitely growing and this growth is possible through the hard work of the artists, galleries, curators and art institutes.  
In order to better position ourselves in the global market, we will need more art spaces, more educational workshops and hopefully one glorious day a Kenyan Art University and Museum of Contemporary Art.  It is time for us to form new collectives, learn more about professional practice, and present ourselves with the global standards that we deserve. 



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