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 L’Atelier awards?
MB: The inspiration was the status and treatment of women
in Kenya. Kenyan women contribute to Kenya’s
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 year’s L’Atelier 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 L’Atelier 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 don’t 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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