ART IN THE VILLAGE

August 01, 2023

ART IN THE VILLAGE

Art has been and will always be the epitome of human creativity since the beginning of humanity. From paint works in caves changing through evolution to construction evolution and amazing drawings made over time. Here in Africa, the art culture has yet to be supported that much by other fields but in the recent past this has been changing. Many corporate societies and NGOs are coming up to support the African art world in different ways from resources, space, and ideas and even to commercialize some of the pieces done by different artists.

A few days ago, in Village Market, Kenya different artists showcased their art in an event called Art in the Open. The event was a pop-up in support of the art community in Kenya. I was privileged to attend the showcase to support the artists, spark my creativity and get ideas for playing with words. I was in awe of most of the pieces and had chats with the respective artists regarding their work and creative journey. Most of them were pretty much open to people having different opinions on the names of their artwork and the meaning of the art. I am gonna discuss the few that caught my attention and share a few pictures of the same.

1. Clench that lust

This was my favourite piece for the day. It carries a lot of intent and art that makes it lie within diverse themes. The piece is a charcoal piece done by ian_mulla_art. We had a very deep and intimate talk about it with him tabling his image as intimacy is more than just physicality. He explains it to be more "spiritual" and energy giving with love being the driving force behind it. In my view, it is plainly holding that, that you cherish the most and not letting it go any time soon. The deeper meaning that I formulated is even in lust, no one wants to let go of the pleasure that we have as we give off soul-binding fluids. I still think about it a lot even though I have an underlying creative assignment behind it, stick around to find out.

2. Hehe

Don't think much about the name I gave to it, it is what came to my mind when at first glance. The piece reminded me of childhood cheekiness and happiness. Remember when you used to make funny faces during serious moments or playing, this piece reminded me of that. It has a nostalgic feeling that feels anyone who sees it.

3. True colours

We live in a world where right now colours have meaning and represent different ideologies. Most of the ideologies won't make sense and some will but the beautiful thing is we all co-exist with our ideas in peace if we maintain our space and boundaries. Despite our dressing and shape differences, we are still beautiful that way.

4. Particulate

Thanos and Avengers infinity war were the first things that came into my mind after first glance. Was I wrong really, the guy is turning into dust, haha! Anyway, we are always in thought, whether deep or shallow but they are always present. Sometimes we get lost in them and they end up taking us piece by piece as they disrupt our peace. That may be the start of a new phase as you dust off the old horrors or might also be the end of us bit by bit.

5. Old habits

Let me catch a smoke, I need a session, let me light it up. The different phrases when you wanna blow the clouds. This piece is like a time capsule, it holds a memory of a habit that men both young and old still practice and enjoy .

During publishing these were my top 5 pieces, not that the others weren't, in fact, some of them were and others will be depending on the artistic side my soul chooses to be the driver when i view the different pieces. The exhibition was actually cool, the interaction with artistic minds and getting their perspective was really insightful. I would advise anyone to attend such exhibitions to promote the art industry and also to get in touch with their artistic part.

Pour that honey on my face, haha you pervert clear your mind. But why do we receive the most lovely things with closed eyes: sweet dreams, kisses, daydreams. Do we enjoy them with our eyes closed or it's just a societal decree? Or

I don't know what was going on in this artist's mind but I bet they made this piece during the 2022 Worl cup. It carries a big fantasy that is winning the more it stays in your mind. Or, is it delusion in a football fan's mind? But they have hoes, maybe it can be possible in a farmers league.

Most of the men and women who grew up in rural Africa know the nostalgic feeling here. No matter how many tumbles you took, it couldn't beat the fun and you just had to get back on and enjoy a good ride.

Many people believe that it is worth it to have all the wealth than all the love buy, is it though? In my perspective isn't that loneliness and if not, if you have all the wealth and not love who will you spend it with? Maybe I am wrong and you can have a different perspective but, many of us have lost beautiful pieces of us chasing wealth then/ instead of love.