CIRCLE ART's FIRST ONLINE EAST AFRICAN ART AUCTION

 By Margaretta wa Gacheru (September 2020)

Circle Art Gallery has consistently played a progressive and dynamic role in the East African art world. The first to establish an annual art auction in the region, Circle chose to emulate internationally acclaimed auction houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s, both of which consistently confirm the aesthetic and financial value of modern and contemporary (leave alone Renaissance and Impressionist) art.

Now Circle is the first in 2020 to mount an online East African Art Auction. Held this past Wednesday night, Circle’s 8^th Art Auction was the second one to take place this year. The first was at Radisson Blu Hotel and garnered millions

Providing a bright spot on an otherwise dismal 2020, the auction elicited both national and international attention. In part this is because the art auction’s founder, Danda Jaroljmek has studied international auctions for years to ensure hers would be comparable professionally to those held overseas, where art sells for multi-millions.

Plus, Ms Jaroljmek, who is also the founder of Circle Art, has been managing a small army of phone volunteers who have, during past auctions, taken calls from bidders phoning in from all over the world.

Finally, the pandemic has gotten more people conversant with online communication. As such, many more art lovers have been prepared to send in their bids in advance, which was one of several ways that interested parties could participate in the auction.

In addition to the online aspect of the auction, and in keeping with the COVID safety measures, 50 people were able to book a seat at the gallery.

There, the 37 artworks (known in the auction world as ‘lots’) were on display on Circle’s pearly white walls and stands. They represented eight African countries, including Congo, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

One might ask why Circle set a new precedent of holding a second art auction this year? But clearly, Ms Jaroljmek had the artwork and the public interest, so why not!

A few less than half the 37 works were by Kenyans which wasn’t so much a reflection of personal bias or proximity. Rather it reflected the quality of Kenyan artists’ works which have matured in almost an incubator-type atmosphere. Now prepared to come out onto an international stage (which is what the art auction has provided for them), the catalogue included works by everyone from Peterson Kamwathi, Beatrice Wanjiku, Paul Onditi and Peter Elungat, all of whom have exhibited internationally as well as in Kenya’s vibrant art scene.

Others include elder statesmen and women of Kenyan art, namely Rosemary Karugu (Kenya’s first fine art university graduate), Edward Njenga, (a former Mau Mau detainee), Yoni Waite, (founder of Nairobi’s first commercial gallery Watatu), Francis Nnaggenda, the Ugandan chairman emeritus of Makerere’s Margaret Trowell School of Fine Art, and Elkana Ong’esa, Kenya’s first artist with a masters degree from Makerere.

Other Kenyans who weren’t to be forgotten were Boniface Maina, Sane Wadu, Richard Kimathi, Tabitha Wa Thuku, Samuel Githui, and Annabelle Wanjiku.

Several of the most sought-after artists at the auction are also deceased. They included Ugandans Geoffrey Makasa and Jak Katarikawe, Tanzania’s E.S. TingaTinga and Kenya’s Sidney Mang’onga.

One of the most striking features of this art auction is the dramatic use of bold, bright colors by a whole range of artists. This is true for Sudanese artists like Miska Mohammed, Congolese artists Robert Saidi, Tanzanians David Mzuguno, George Lilanga and SG Mpata as well as Eritrean painter Fitsum Berha Woldilibanos, and South African Charles Sekano.

At the same time, several important East African artists prefer to work either in hues of black and white like Yoni Waite, Peterson Kamwathi, and Theresa Musoke or shades of blue black like Nnaggenda and Boniface Maina.

One major reason for Circle’s Art Auction’s success is that the gallery has provided a secondary market for East African art. That has meant that friends of Circle have come to appreciate that many artworks accrue in value over time. Thus, they have, for various reasons, come to ‘trade in’ their art at Circle. Some might need the cash; others might need the wall space to hang newly-acquired art.

Either way, collectors are just one source of the art that reaches the Auction. Artists themselves bring their best works to the gallery, hopeful to have them featured at the auction. Finally, there is Ms Jaroljmek herself who occasionally goes on exploratory missions to find relatively unknown artists to include in the auction.

“We can take an entire year to prepare for the next auction,” the gallerist said.