SUNU Conversation With: Ian Mwesiga
Siima Itabaaza speaks with artist and fellow Ugandan Ian Mwesiga about his practice, the personal and the political.
In 2015, Ugandan painter Ian Mwesiga visited The Uganda Museum to explore the photographic archive. Buoyant and excited, Mwesiga expected the archive to be packed with celebratory images of Ugandans, capturing their style and joie de vivre. Instead, he encountered only humiliating photographs of naked, Black people being paraded in front of white people. Disgusted and outraged, Mwesiga embarked on creating paintings that dignify Black people. In these paintings that form his latest series, Black people clad in brightly coloured outfits are seen dancing, posing for photographs and enjoying each other’s company. Mwesiga references different periods of history using the settings and clothes that he adorns his subjects in. For instance, the painting “Salon Kafunda” features a radio model from the 90s. Here, Mwesiga creates an alternative archive of Black life that makes us question future representations of the Black body. I sat down with Mwesiga at 32° East | Ugandan Arts Trust centre in Kampala where we spoke about his practice, his latest body of work and being an artist in a society that is hostile to art.
S: Your works evoke Kerry James Marshall, especially in the way that the subjects are painted in what Marshall describes as “unapologetically Black,” a really dark shade of black. Your new paintings, just as Marshall’s, are a proud proclamation of Blackness. Are there any other artists who make similar statements in their work that influenced you?
I: Kerry James Marshall, Malick Sidibe, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Phoebe Boswell, Kehinde Wiley, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye… people dealing with almost the same subject...Black joy! But also Black people were a huge influence. I needed to go to the extreme, not in-between, so in that sense Kerry James Marshall really spoke to my concerns. Marshall portrays Black people without fear. With this work, I did something similar, especially after encountering those photographs at the museum. I said no, this is how I need to affirm myself! I need to counter those degrading depictions of Black bodies with glorious representations.
S: Your recent paintings seem to heavily reference photography. In “Self Portrait,” we see a man standing beside what appears to be a framed photograph of another man wearing sunglasses, a white long-sleeved shirt and high waisted trousers. “In Awe of A Married Couple” features two women looking at a wedding portrait of a man and woman. Could you please explain this significance of photography?
I: With this series, I am demonstrating that the progress of Black people is continuous and not one that just happened in the 21st century. When I went through my grandfather’s pictures, the lifestyle of the 70s is there… the flamboyant outfits, the style. I read a book called Stuff, written by a social anthropologist, Daniel Miller. This book explains how fashion creates identity. I am always looking at that. Fashion and hairstyles are core elements of my work. I am interested in the recyclability of fashion, how “old” trends keep coming back. The photographs in the paintings act as flashbacks. If you look at them, most of them are in black and white but the subject is in colour. It is placing contemporaneity alongside retrospect.
Self Portrait (2017), 170 x 100 cm, Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist
In Awe of A Married Couple (2017), 180 x 150 cm, Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist.
S: Some of the works can be located within a specific time. For instance, “Self-portrait,” in which the male subjects wear wide-legged trousers and long-sleeved shirts, seems to reflect the 70s. The objects included are so specific and inherent to the eras they are from. Yet, others, such as “Salon Kafunda,” do not seem to allude to a particular timeframe. When are these paintings set, if they are set in a time at all? Is this confusion between eras deliberate?
I: If you look very closely at “Salon Kafunda,” I incorporated some elements from different timeframes. The radio, the Bell lager beer bottle are from the 1990s. In the paintings, there are always objects which point to a particular time but that is not to say that the work as a whole is situated within that period. It is more about looking forward while looking backwards. I am looking at how Black people have existed over time, but also looking into the future. That is what this new series does.
Salon Kafunda (2017), 140 x 208 cm, Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist
S: In the paintings, there is a contrast between the very dark black with vibrant reds and yellows. Was this a conscious decision?
I: My previous series came with a dark palette because they were from a dark place so with the new series, I needed to do something different. I had to place these “unapologetically Black” bodies in vibrant spaces, to remind the viewer that these works are celebratory. I was very conscious of the association between black and grief so the inclusion of bright colours was a way to critique this. But it was also a way to emphasise the coexistence between darkness and light.
S: In “Salon Kafunda,” a kafunda (bar) and a salon are juxtaposed, one blurring into the other. The salon and kafunda are pivotal places in Ugandan culture, and indeed Black culture. These are spaces where we debate, celebrate, vent and find solace in one another. But there is a gendered dimension to these spaces; the salon is typically associated with women, and the kafunda, with men. When you placed the kafunda and salon in this image together, were you questioning ideas around gender?
I: I was actually blurring those gendered lines. I did this because it was important for me to imagine a world in which gender stereotypes do not exist. With one of the women at the back of the counter, I realised that I had created a definite line between the men congregated in their own corner and I said no, this is not right! Consequently, I had to rethink the distribution of subjects in the painting to avoid falling into those ideas of gender.
Black Man In A White Suit (2017), 180 x 150 cm, Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist.
S: In 2014, President Museveni, the president of Uganda, described arts courses as “useless.” His comment is a reflection of prevalent attitudes towards art in Ugandan societies. Art is typically despised and artists, not respected. How do you function as an artist within this environment?
I: It is a very hard place to be. Not only because of the environment, but also being born in a family where there is no real interest in what I am doing. In fact, people here think it is strange when I declare, “I am an artist!” You can imagine the feeling of being out place! Nevertheless, I am excited to be here because through thick and thin, I have managed to live what I believe. Of course, it has come at a cost; but, it is bearable because, sometimes, we have no choice. Thankfully, some of us have been lucky because places like 32° East came into being just as we were leaving university. They have really helped us thrive and establish ourselves as artists. However, it also takes effort at the personal level. You have to have thick skin and be somewhat aggressive.
School of Dance and Beauty (2017), 180 x 150 cm, Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist
S: Where do you think negative attitudes towards art come from and how can we change them? Obviously, spaces like these (32° East) are a start but what about at the personal level?
I: I think the wider problem is cultural. If change is to happen, our culture needs to change. This society has to go through a certain level of transformation but perhaps we are not yet at that level. Also, if people are really struggling, living on less than a dollar a day and your parent has seen you through all your education, they expect you to go and have a formal job that brings in steady income. But with art, they are unsure about whether this income is steady. You can see where all these biases come from. In some ways, I empathise with them because that is the only understanding that they have. We must remember that these attitudes are deeply rooted in our societies so it will take time to undo them. Even if I come with my solutions, I am not going to fix everything. However, I am optimistic that transformation will happen, maybe not during my lifetime, but it will definitely happen.
When It was Bell Bottom (2017), 150 x 100 cm, Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist
May 2020. Vol nº1