WONDERLAND
The Jerry can is half full for Alex Mbevo,a budding Kenyan Artist based at the Go Down Art Cent re.A former student of the famous figure-painter Patrick Mukabi,arguably one of the active and successful artist on the Kenya contemporary art scene, Mbevo is to a promising start.Only fur years in the making, he is catching up with the established artists in town.
It was Mbevo's yellow Jerry can series 'maji baridi' that caught the attention of critics and collectors visiting the Go Down Artist Centre.Last year, shortly after he moved studio and began to use his wings, he produced a series of paintings potraying little children on bicycles and on foot,fetching water together.
With thick brushstrokes and an impressive use of light and shadow,hints of Mukabi's tutoring piercing through Mbevo's work.still, there is no doubt that Alex Mbevo has his own thing going on.
With genuine aptitude for visual aesthetics,subject matter that he feels deeply about,and a distinct way of steering the palete and paintbrush,he has roused an audience,many of whom can't wait for whom to stretch his wings out wider;to come into his own.
At the third annual Manjano exhibition,which opened on April 11th we spoke with Mbevo about his recent experience on the local art scene.Exhibition two work at Manjano currently and having sold two out of the three works he exhibited at the friends of Art exhibition (fota)at ISK the week before (April 5-8), April had been good to our petite prodigy.
In shades of brown and light grey, three boys drink thirstily from a city tap.filtered through small desperate fingers,the water fills one of Mbevo's trademark jerry cans.But Mbevo uses a new technique.
Moving on to Fota 2013 last week, Mbevo believes that “Fota is good for the artists – good for sales and for meeting others.” A successful reminder of the talent on the contemporary art scene in Kenya, Fota really was exciting this time around.
Organised by a select group of parents from the International School of Kenya, we hear that a percentage from the sales made at Fota goes toward art-related school activities and community-based projects.
Artists from all over Kenya - locals, resident expats like Miriam Rubino and Max Mason (whose works are nothing short of extraordinary) and artists that visit Kenya regularly (like Kataregga from Kampala for instance), submit high quality works. With an overspill of talent and an organised team behind it, the turnout and the number of sales is impressive.
O
ut of the 250 paintings on show this year, we hear 90 were sold.
Speaking with Mbevo, a handful of wide-eyed Mukabi students hover
around, enjoying the Fota crowd. The event is a big deal, especially for
up-and-comers who have the chance to exhibit the top artists in Kenya.Mbevo, who is always impeccably dressed and so very loveable, is still an enigma to me. I have questions. Who inspires you Mbevo? “Patrick Mukabi made me realise who I am and what I can do but I’m also inspired by Florence Wangui, Sam Githui and others.”
As I walk about Fota and, of course, Manjano 2013 (organised by the GoDown Arts Centre), it’s clear that GoDown artists, whether they are students, evolving artists, or established, are shining brighter than ever before.
Works by the cerebral duo, two illustrious artists and deep-thinkers
who share a studio, Michael Soi and Thom Ogonga, are always a feast for
eyes and mind. From the upcoming artists’ category, Tom Mboya’s
‘Fisherman’ and Carolyne Mbirua’s ‘Light Beyond’ at Fota were
enchanting. But who is Florence Wangui, this friend and colleague to
Mbevo?Florence Wangui, a student of Mukabi since 2012, shows extreme potential. Putting her Zoology training from Kenyatta University aside, she is focused on painting life as inspired by her mother’s farm.
Her chicken series is particularly emotive. Showing two works at Manjano currently and two others at Le Rustique Restaurant in a joint exhibition with Dale Webster and Dickens Otieno, Wangui has certainly caught our attention. “I think she paints her own behaviour,” says Mbevo. “I see her in all her works.”
Works such as ‘Silent Conversations’ at Fota this year, where Wangui managed to capture the physical beauty of chickens but also something poignant and intuitive about their demeanor, compelled us to revisit the chicken.
What is it about chickens that make them such a popular subject with
artists? Is it the tenderness, the vulnerability in their eyes? Using
only charcoal on paper, Wangui recalls our beginnings as artists.
Somehow, everything about her, especially her bashful behaviour, takes
us back to the essence of things; as if seeing the world with new eyes.
Wrapping up our tour of Mbevo’s April, he tells us that, “Manjano,
because it is a competition, motivates the artists to do their best
works.” We look around in awe at the works of many talented artists.
Born in Masinga in 1990, Mbevo never imagined that he would one day
exhibit alongside them. It is only since our chic urbanite left Mukuru
Youth Art Centre in 2006 that he saw the possibility of life as a
successful artist. Well, he’s certainly on his way!Inspiredby the talent around him and participating in exhibitions at Paa ya Paa, Kuona Trust and the grande Manjano and Fota shows, Mbevo is in the right place at the right time. “I love the city life because of the challenges,” he tells us. “It’s exciting!” Stand by for the next episode of Alex in Wonderland.
Manjano at The Village Market and Close Encounters, featuring Florence Wangui at Le Rustique Restaurant will run until Thursday, April 25th.
