A few words about your artistic career
In my paintings, I fuse the figurative with abstract backgrounds in a burst of colour. Because colours play an important role in the way we see and perceive things - I explore and delve deeper into primary colours and seek to broaden the thinking around the representation of children.
How long have you been an artist?
I have 7 years experience as an artist, I started practicing art in 2012.
Why did you apply for this scholarship? How will the scholarship support you?
- In order to support me financially and so that I can use my time during confinement to concentrate entirely on my practice;
- To buy more art materials to further my practice;
- In order to cover Internet costs and be able to share the results of the residency online.
What are your concrete artistic objectives after this residency?
- Produce more than 10 works of art related to the subject of this project;
- To set up my first solo exhibition by 2021;
- Attend an art residency outside Uganda;
- Continue to work with children through my organisation.
What did you achieve during this creative residency? What is the result (work created)?
I produced four paintings (100cm X 75cm) in oil and acrylic on canvas. This was made possible by the positive interactions of the children in my community, Lugala, the parish of Lubya, to illustrate the lockdown through their interactions. The children served as models for these paintings.
I maintain a social media presence for my home residence to share the process and progress updates. I've been able to showcase my progress to my old and new audiences online. I set up an online exhibition of the artwork, which ran for a week and reached 3,815 people. I got 874 likes on Instagram and 1,500 reactions on Facebook. I was also able to broaden my audience. I was able to get in touch with two new potential collectors who are now interested in my artistic career.
How do you think these activities help us to think about the world today, in relation to the COVID-19 crisis, and/or about building for the future?
The children I painted were remarkably happy to see their faces on canvas, which made them feel exceptional and recognised. It's not every day that an artist decides to paint portraits of children without a commission, but I felt the need to do so in these uncertain times, I needed us to celebrate all the little positive things around us, and as an artist, I found that children were one of them.
My residency body of work shows the children's interactions and memories of confinement in my community of Lugala, the parish of Lubya, a small suburb of Kampala in the Rubaga division. These works show how the children spent their time during confinement.
The pandemic has continued to disrupt life. It is no longer safe for children to play or interact in large groups as they did before COVID-19. Even in this new context, the children remain optimistic and happy. These smiles are what I have captured and reflected in my artwork in the hope of inspiring more optimism, even in times of adversity. I believe it can be a new form of hope for the world to reflect and learn.
How did you feel during the residency? And afterwards?
First and foremost, I felt privileged to receive this bursary because of the competitiveness of the application process. Then, during the residency, I felt motivated and was able to devote a lot of time to my artistic practice.
At the beginning of the period of confinement, I wasn't sure whether I would have access to enough art materials to enable me to continue practising. However, thanks to the CIL grant, I was able to get all the materials I needed, which gave me the security to produce the artworks I imagined. I also had the opportunity to try out an entirely new style of painting during the residency. I decided to use solid colours in the frame to create and reflect the atmosphere of confinement.
After witnessing the implication this had on my practice, I decided to withdraw from consuming news about COVID-19. I also reminded myself that I was doing something to address COVID-19 through my artwork by sharing the positivity of children. Then, as an artist, I felt satisfied to paint more smiles on the faces of the children taking part in this project. It was rewarding and satisfying to see other people happy because of my actions. I've decided to continue producing more work inspired by this project and see how far it goes. Perhaps these works will end up on the walls of one of the galleries here in Uganda.
At the Parking Lot
Everything Else Can Wait
The Queen Herself
The Transporter
