By
Margaretta wa Gacheru (posted 13 April 2018)
Evans Ngure
is one of the most inventive, resourceful and imaginative young artists working
on the local scene today.
That’s
saying a lot since there are many Kenyans working industriously in the arts
currently. Yet few, if any, would consider creating collage art using spare
parts from electric stoves, suitcase wheels, door hinges or bicycle brake pads.
Yet these
are the sort of ‘found objects’ used by Evans Maina Ngure to complete the works
now in his exhibition at British institute of East Africa entitled ‘Irreplaceable’.
Majoring in
painting and fine art at Kenyatta University, Evans says he didn’t discover the
artistic potential of found objects until he took a class with Anne Mwiti who
suggested he try working with nontraditional art materials. He was already
concerned about environmental issues. But ‘Irreplaceable’ is the first time he
combines his keen interest in conservation with his ‘found’ paraphenalia.
“When people
talk about conservation, they usually think of the Big Five, yet I wanted to
show how smaller creatures are also endangered or soon will be,” he told BD
Life.
That’s why
he created everything from butterflies, ladybugs, peacocks and elephant for
this show. “I also want to raise awareness that we need a whole new perspective
of our planet; we need to preserve and protect it or we’re all going to
suffer,” he adds.
Owls are
also endangered species, Ngure notes. However, in most African cultures, owls
are a bad omen and a symbol of death. “But in Western cultures, the owl is a
symbol of wisdom,” he says, adding that he also hopes to raise awareness of
this sort of cultural relativity.
“Even vultures
are endangered,” Evans says as he explains how natural food chains can conflict
with people’s cultures. “Vultures are diminishing because the Maasai are
intentionally poisoning carcasses of cows to kill off lions who intrude upon
their cattle herds. But since vultures go after the same carcasses, they are also
poisoned.
Ngure hasn’t
yet created a vulture collage, but he says he will. “I also want to create a
bee series since bees are definitely endangered; yet they’re essential to the
continuity of human, plant and animal life.”
Evans had
his first solo exhibition back in 2011 at Paa ya Paa Gallery. Since then he’s
exhibited at Nairobi National Museum, K1 Flea Market, the Owl’s Nest and Dusit
D2 Hotel among and elsewhere.
Evans accessorized his own bag and hat
Best known for
his jewelry, especially his quirky pendants, leather wrist cuffs and
zip-handled earrings, Evans often exhibits at the Dusit D2 Hotel where a
rotating array of local artists show their work every month.
One of Evans' Wind Chimes
But if he’s
best known for his jewelry, he’s also notable for accessorizing everything from
handbags and jewelry boxes to rabbit hutches and kitchen mops.
Calling his
latest kitchen creation “Mop Justice’, Evans says the mop first got painted and
then decorated with beads and found objects that he neatly stores in assorted ‘found’
containers.
“It all
started when I couldn’t find a [suitably sized] bucket for my new mop. I
finally got one at Gikomba [which is where he gets most of his art materials],
but it was such a chore to find that I decided it deserved decorating,” he
says, explaining where the term ‘Mop Justice’ came from.
Evans admits
he has assistance from family members who, like him, are always on the lookout
for discarded items that other people define as trash. His mom is good at
collecting things at Gikomba and his brother has a motorcycle shop where spare
parts get left behind regularly. That explains how a motorcycle gear-changer found
its way into Evans’ Fish collage.
It also
helps to understand how one can find so many umbrella spokes and handles in his
art. The spokes form ‘feathers’ on his owl’s wings and the handles are the fins
on his Fish.
Yet Evans’
ingenuity extends beyond the exhibition halls. He creates wind chimes and
accessorized flower pots that could be classified as interior design. But
whatever you call it, Evans’ artistry includes recycled junk at its best.
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