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After the Leaking Spirits group exhibition in April 2022 at Village Market, Ugandan artist Muramuzi John Bosco is back in Nairobi again for his solo exhibition at Talisman Restaurant, Karen. The Village Corners is a solo exhibition consisting of over 60 works, all acrylic on canvas, ranging from small (25x20cm) to large-scale works (160x140cm) most of them reflecting rural Ugandan life and the artist’s city experience, simultaneously exploring his environment and the people in Kampala – where he currently lives and works.
John Bosco was born (in 1991) and raised in Sheema, a rural area in Western Uganda, and later moved to Kampala in 2004 to pursue his education and later his art career. He holds a Diploma in Industrial Art and Design from YMCA Comprehensive Institute in Kampala. His intricate work and technique of interlacing rural-urban life stories were largely influenced by the weaving process he witnessed his mother practice while he was growing up. He also nurtured his talent by being involved in his primary school art projects and initiatives, including making art illustrations on blackboards.
Muramuzi’s raveled tapestry woven like acrylic paintings explore nature and the rural-urban Ugandan life; from his village’s flora and fauna, to the busy city life, including markets, people, mode of transport and the settlement or rather architectural landscapes of the dynamic Kampala, Uganda. Using acrylic within numerous art styles such as impressionism, abstract and symbolism, he utilizes a mixture of vivid and sometimes monochromatic palettes to create stunning explosive patterns and imaginary compositions that glorify Ugandan life.
In The City Corners (2022), which was the most appreciated in the Village Corners, 10th October 2022 – 13th November 2022, Talisman Nairobi, he maximally made use of red and yellow to create a visually appealing pattern and composition. It’s incredible how the artist has figured out a clever way to neutralize red with yellow, white, and a few tints of black, as naturally red embodies agitation and if not handled skillfully, it sometimes degrades the final piece.
Some of Muramuzi’s large-scale paintings recall my bus ride experience to Kampala from Nairobi. I’ve been there twice by road, the first time in 2019 and the second time in 2022 for studio visits. And, like any other East African capital city, Kampala is getting chaotic, due to the immense number of people migrating from the rural areas to the city. In his body of work, Muramuzi always depicts his imaginary views, recollections, and sometimes real-time activities outside and within the capital. In a recent interview with Tewasart Africa, he shared with me his childhood memories, rural-urban life, his journey in art, and his creative process.
TAA: Congratulations on your solo exhibition. How would you describe your first time in the city?
MJB: It was fascinating! I came by bus and was received by my brother at the bus stop. During the whole journey, I enjoyed the view through the bus window. At first glance, everything including nature, settlements, and markets with brightly multiple colored umbrellas, and the people looked hazy and seemed to be moving backward. An element incorporated in some of my earlier works. In the early stages of my creative process, I employed abstract and symbolism to depict these vague memories and scenes that happened too fast. A technique that would be compared to how children paint. As the bus slowed down the view got clearer.
TAA: How would you describe rural life and your upbringing? Any childhood memories?
MJB: My upbringing was adventurous! I spent most of my childhood in Sheema, my rural home, between the ages of 5 to 14, mostly taking care of my father’s goats in the wilderness. I was always surrounded by nature which has significantly impacted my creativity. I’m from the Ankole community, we are cattle keepers and farmers. We grow food crops and cash crops. So during harvesting periods, some scenes are common, like women carrying sacks of maize or millet to the market – overloaded motorcycles, also known as bodabodas or bicycles are common. You could also find one motorbike carrying three people and a goat or sometimes a coffin. An overloaded truck with charcoal, with people on top of the charcoal, still fascinates me.
By including these scenes and memories in my work, I’m acknowledging and celebrating rural life and most importantly my culture. Another interesting feature in my pieces is the village routes also known as panya routes or shortcuts. These pathways in my rural home seemingly shorten the distance between destinations. We also have village pitches that are always concealed from our parents or the older generation, hoping not to be easily found. Many interesting social activities happen on the village pitches including football matches with a ball made of banana fibers, fights, and meetings. We also deal with a mice problem as depicted in the reaping season piece.
TAA: What inspired the idea behind the Going back to my roots painting?
MJB: In Going Back to my Roots my intention is not to trace my traditions, they are always part of me, and I never deviated from them. In this piece, I’m intentionally acknowledging my culture by selectively including indigenous elements linking me to my rural life, culture, and childhood memories. I believe there is no present without the past. For me to paint the current, I have to start from my childhood, where it all starts. I used symbolism to emphasize the significance of my culture in my existence. In this context, roots (culture) create the base or foundation (my history) of a tree (me). The deeper and more widespread the roots are, the stronger the foundation.
TAA: How would you describe the city experience? And how has it impacted your practice as an artist?
MJB: Life in Kampala is fast and quite busier compared to rural life, definitely less nature, more people and buildings. During my early days in the city centre, the scenes happened so fast and the features appeared to be vague. As I visited it more and familiarized myself with the city, the scenes got distinct, and those features got ingrained in my memory. My work is about those memories and imaginary views I create of the past and present environment. I capture memories of the journey too from my village in Sheema to Kampala and other places I have lived in. Depictions of both the seen and the unseen places are manipulated to create a new environment in the way I want to see it.
In my recent works like The City Corners (2022) I depict every aspect of the city, from the market with umbrellas, the people, crowds, hawkers, and traffic congestion and taxi stops. From amateur rural structures made of red clay bricks to sophisticated city architectural design elements and floral patterns, my work is drawn from the imaginary views of nature around me, and sometimes reality.
I like featuring hawkers also known as Mutembeyi because they are significant figures in the general city life and business. Some of them (especially the banana or matoke hawkers) travel miles to sell their farm products – an attribute I find so inspiring.
TAA: Before settling on Acrylic as your primary medium, did you explore any other medium or materials? Briefly explain your creative process.
MJB: I’m from a humblE background, which means I couldn’t afford art supplies when I was starting, so I started with the basic wall paint, it was affordable and easy to access (it was sold in proportions, and I also experimented with various found materials like banana fibers, old fabric, backcloth, raffia, paper, and glue, mainly on canvas.
I find acrylic easier to work with because my work encompasses thousands of layers. Layering is therapeutic. I enjoy exploring and treating each tone independently. Sometimes I get bored with one tone. So, I take a break by exploring a different one. I do sketch but I treat my sketches as complete pieces. On my topics and subject matter, I’m constantly seeking the balance between rural and city life. I take three weeks to complete the largest pieces – 160x140cm. Sometimes I work on 2-3 pieces simultaneously especially if the pieces are of the same palette.
TAA: As I wind up this conversation, within a short time Nairobi has become an alternative market for your work. How’s that going?
MJB: The reception haS been tremendous! I think most of my clients and art lovers in Nairobi find my work and style unique because of its intricate nature and the aspect of interweaving stories and imaginary compositions in one piece. I give each piece a focal point that is fascinating enough to draw attention. Second, I think most people who appreciate my work, easily see themselves in the pieces. Most of them love Africa, its culture, nature, and travel.
Third, the rural-to-urban migration narrative in pursuit of better resources, infrastructure, and opportunities is common in most capital cities including Nairobi. I think by sharing genuine accounts of daily rural-urban life, my work stays relevant. It’s a good feeling when your work receives the appreciation it deserves.
More Artworks by Muramuzi John Bosco (Ugandan)