KENYAN
ARTIST WINS TOP PRIZE AT L’ATELIER 2017
By
Margaretta wa Gacheru (posted September 15, 2017)
The ABSA
L’Atelier Awards have been running for the past 32 years. But up until three
years ago, the competition only involved South African artists.
The first
L’Atelier arts competition to be open to other African artists came in 2015.
Since then, the contest has attracted original artworks by creatives from ten
African countries: Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania as well as Botswana, Zambia,
Ghana, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa and the Seychelles.
Kenyan
artists featured in the top 100 since 2015. Among them were Jackie Karuti, Kevo
Stero, Onyis Martin and Maral Bolouri. But this year the top prize went
straight to the Kuona Trust-based artist Maral. Her ‘Mothers and Others’
installation was awarded for its ingenious investigation of African proverbs
and their representations of women.
Her
installation reveals that the overwhelming majority of proverbs represent women
negatively. All across the region, women in proverbs are portrayed as lesser
beings who are helpless and weak-minded.
Maral and Margaretta at Kuona Trust in 2015
But after
months of research, Maral also found a few positive adages, although they
mainly reflected well on mothers and women’s reproductive potential.
In three
structures, her interactive installation juxtaposes the positive and the
negative. In the first one, handmade iron cowbells dangle from a tall wooden
frame. Each bell is attached to a proverb that represents women unfavorably.
But beneath the bells is a triangular altar containing the few positive
proverbs.
The second
structure contains unlit candles suggesting that there’s hope for women in
future, and the third one is blank but labeled with a public notice inviting
people to write their own proverbs which represent women.
Maral has won
a six month residency to the ‘Cite
Internationale des Arts’ in Paris and a substantial cash award. It also
entitles her along with the other top ten awardees a two day course on
professionalism and how to effectively manage their fine art career.
At the ABSA
(Amalgamated Bank of South Africa) L’Atelier Gallery in Johannesburg, Maral’s
installation together with the artworks for the other top 100 selected artists
have been on display since September 14th. The exhibition of
L’Atelier 2017 entitled ‘Give Art Life’ will run through October 27th.
The other Kenyan artist who placed in the top
ten of L’Atelier 2017 is Elias Mungora Njora. His painting ‘Foot Prints 4’
ranked number nine.
Both artists
have studios in Nairobi, Maral at Kuona Trust and Mungora at Brush tu Art
Studio.
Q&A for Maral Bolouri (submitted 25 September 2017)
1. MG: Hi Maral, Congratulations on
winning the L’Atelier 2017 first prize. How many countries were involved in the
competition this year? Do you know how many artists submitted art work both
regionally and nationally?
2. Q: Your winning installation was
entitled Mothers and Others. It’s a fascinating title but could you describe
how and why you constructed it as you did? What materials you used and how did
you decide on the construction?
3. Q: I know you have been researching
African proverbs and how those adages portray women for some time. Could you
please tell us when and why you began doing this research? How many countries’
proverbs did you examine?
4. Q: How did you conceive the structure
of your installation? Did you have the design in mind early on, or did it
evolve out of your research?
5. Q: Your installation indicates that
the vast majority of Proverbs about women were negative. Could you share a few?
I believe the media reported that the over-arching image of women reflected in
these proverbs was of woman as imbecilic and weak? Is that an accurate generalization?
6. Q: I imagine your research findings
must have been distressing for you. Am I correct? Do you see a way of changing
those negative attitudes towards women?
7. Q: the few positive proverbs that you
found, I gather you placed inside what was called an ‘altar’ or shrine: what’s
the precise name. And why did you put them there?
8. Was it paper that you wrote the
proverbs on? If not paper, then what medium did you use to write the proverbs
on? Is the installation as fragile as it looks?
9. Q: I gather this is not your first
exhibition to address the issue of women and stereotypes. What was the name of
that previous one? Did your Mothers & Others installation develop out of
that previous exhibition which I believe you had at Kuona Trust some time ago
(was it 2 years ago?)
10.
Q:
what sort of impact has your research and the art that has emerged from it, had
on you personally? Do you find it disillusioning or does it energize you to want
to affect change in attitudes towards women through your art or by any other
means?
11.
Please
tell us a bit of your background: e.g. where were you born? When? When did you
know you wanted to be an artist? Could you describe your formal and informal
training?
12.
Where
have you exhibited and when?
13.
Finally,
(and probably what should have been the first question): What does winning
first prize at this year’s L’Atelier mean to you? In concrete terms, you will
be going to Paris sometime soon, I gather. When will that be and where? Which art
institution? I believe you will be given a cash prize as well. Do you have a
plan for how you might spend it? But psychologically, how do you feel about
being the first in Kenya to win such a prestigious award?
14.
Q;
How do you anticipate this major win affecting your life in the future?
Again, congratulations Maral. Thank you for agreeing to
answer my questions. I am thrilled for you and trust your win will have a
positive impact on your life.
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