Tracing their lineage and then translating it into art is the tack taken by two East African artists who both happen to be exhibiting in Nairobi currently.
Dickson
Kaloki’s interpretation of his research, entitled ‘Changing Rooms’, takes shape in an installation including a
mysterious box surrounded by colorful semi-abstract paintings at Kuona Trust.
Meanwhile,
the Tanzanian artist Rehema Chachage’s visual translation of her research,
entitled ‘Mlango wa Navushiku’ (at
Circle Art through April 18), also takes the form of an installation, only hers
includes video, still photography, a bathtub and a digital art light show.
Both
exhibitions are conceptual in that each addresses the issue of the artist’s
identity. Each show includes concepts associated with cultural practices of
their respective communities. They also examine the implications and
applications that those traditional beliefs and practices may have in the
present-day.
The amazing
commonality between Kaloki and Rehema relates to their both arriving at a stage
in their lives when ‘identity’ became a powerful concern to investigate in
depth. The ‘who am I?’ moment apparently hit them around the same time.
What’s also remarkable
is that both chose a similar strategy for seeking out solutions to their
identity issues. Both went looking for their grandmothers, each of whom was
clearly a masterful storyteller who happily imparted her knowledge and
experience to her inquisitive grandchildren.
Both artists
saw their elders as respected repositories of wisdom and indigenous knowledge.
Moreover, that knowledge could easily have been lost without curious characters
like Kaloki and Rehema recognizing their elders as inspirational and
informative storytellers.
So even
before appraising the aesthetic value of their creative expression, both artists
deserve commendation for looking within (not outside) their respective cultures
for inspiration and primary source material. It’s in contrast to a number of
other artists who are less keen on authenticity and more convinced that Western
art trends and traditions are superior to their own.
One
difference between the artists is that while both interview their grandma’s in
her mother tongue, Rehema’s mum translated the text into English while Kaloki
invited a friend to translate KiKamba into English.
The other
big difference between the two shows (apart from the difference in artistic
media and genre) is that Rehema is specifically interrogating traditional
practices and beliefs that historically have impacted the lives of women.
Kaloki more
generally explores the way cultural concepts repeat themselves down the
generations and shape the way people see. It’s an idea he conceived as a box
encompassing the head of every being portrayed in his art.
Ultimately,
it’s the grandmothers who are the stars of these shows which are
extraordinarily similar yet distinctly unique.
Meanwhile,
the other artistic genre that’s implicitly infused with meaning is the cartoon.
But in contrast to conceptual art, cartoons are created specifically to be visually
clear, direct and palatable to the general public. They’re often spiced with sassy
satire and salty humor.
That’s why the
Swedish Institute chose to team up with cartoonists following the 2009
Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change to rouse public awareness of this
manmade phenomena and the consequences of ignoring this global problem.
Between ’09 and
2016, more than 115 cartoonists from five countries joined the ‘Facing the
Climate’ collection and campaign.
Since
yesterday, ‘Facing the Climate’ cartoons went on exhibition at Alliance
Francaise featuring Kenyan cartoonists Gado, Madd, Celeste and Victor Ndula together
with others from Sweden, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
The
exhibition’s been produced by the Swedish Embassy and Buni Media, and curated
by Victor Ndula and Magnus Bard.
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