Despite considering himself an amateur, David Kezio-Musoke’s technique, visions, and inspirations reveal the soul of an artist who could not live without a white canvas to express himself.
By Claudia Giampietri
Article published on issue 30 of African Woman (http://www.africanwomanmagazine.net/)
David Kezio-Musoke and I arrange to meet in Kampala on a Thursday afternoon. He welcomes me in a place where he keeps few pieces of his artistic production. Leaned against the wall of the spacious living room are five big canvas while two smaller framed paintings are placed on a couch.
As soon as he opens the shutters and the light comes into the room, my eyes are caught by the prominent shapes of human and animal figures in the foreground of the canvas, painted with intense abstract colours vigourously stroked by a palette.
”Unfortunately, here I keep only few pieces – David says while sitting comfortably on a sofa. ”Most of my production is in Rwanda, where I work and live.”
David is a 33-years-old Ugandan journalist who is stationed in Rwanda since three years and currently works for the Kenyan Nation Media Group, representing the interests of the Daily Nation, The Monitor, and The East African in Kigali. His life is divided between mainstream journalism and an increasing commitment to what used to be his pastime: painting.
David is a Musoga, the tribe that populates the eastern part of the Nile, and belongs to a very artistic family. ”My siblings and I are all fine artists, but only two of them studied art at a professional level. We all learnt how to draw from my mother who was a teacher but most of what I do is self-taught.” During high school – despite his teachers’ skepticism – David chose to combine art and science: ”I did physics, chemistry, biology and art at A level. In Uganda this is considered a ‘crazy choice’ because one is not supposed to mix physical sciences with humanities.” But David knew that his career would not be in any field of science and he was equally sure that the passion for art would instead remain. ”At the university, I ended up sharing the room with art students who mainly produced abstract art. These students were very hard working but I must admit that, with all due respect for the abstract artists, I do despise abstract art. I am unable to appreciate it fully. Instead, I have always had an admiration for people who produce figurative art, which is the kind of art that ‘makes sense’, that represents forms that are recognisably derived from life.”
When the moment to decide about his profession came, David followed his father’s footsteps and became a journalist. ”Before leaving for Rwanda to work for a private media house, I started writing art reviews for The Monitor in Kampala. Art is very prolific in Uganda and there used to be a lot of art exhibitions at the Italian embassy where I was always invited. Once I met a man, Pietro Averono, who influenced my way of looking at artworks. Pietro was the cultural officer at the embassy and in charge of organizing the exhibitions. He was very knowledgeable about art and I loved the way he used to appreciate it. He influenced my way of looking at pictures because he gave me the liberty of disliking a piece even if it is highly valued. I must admit that after looking at some pieces sold for hundreds of dollars sometimes I thought ‘Well, David, you could do better’.”
The freedom that David inherited from Pietro Averono’s way of looking at art has certainly encouraged him to challenge himself and boosted his confidence.
Before moving to Rwanda three years ago, David went through a rather hard time. But the hardness in life, instead of pulling him down, made him very creative and he worked at a feverish pace. ”That was a defining moment in my art-life, when I decided to take art to a different level. Painting ceased to be simply my pastime and became more.” As soon as David reached Rwanda he invested part of his savings to set up a work space in his house in Kimironko, and started painting for the public to establish himself as an artist and making himself known. The process is not easy, but David believes that Rwanda gives many opportunities to emerging artists who are not suffocated by the wild competition present in Uganda. ”Uganda hosts many famous artists and the art-world is quite developed. In Rwanda instead, because of its recent dramatic history, art has not been promoted for many years and there has not been a market for art until recently. The country is now catching up and I hope it will be a springboard for me.” Although competition gives artists hard times, the public in East Africa enjoys artworks and is open to new emerging geniuses. ”I believe that people do not necessarily need to be experts to appreciate art. I know that this is subject to debate, but I think that when a painting captures people’s eyes, that means it is good. If people just pass by ignoring the piece, that probably means it is boring. The public’s taste is not homogeneous and I know that some people like my works while some others don’t.”
Surprisingly, despite his talent and ambitions David would rather define himself as an amateur more than an artist. He confesses that he does not paint for money and is often unable to value his paintings. Painting for David is a soul’s need, an internal drive that urges him to rush to a white canvas. ”I do what I do because it comes from my heart. When I am working on a piece I enter into another world where I cool off and abandon the other part of me. I am another person.”
What strikes me most by listening to David is the way he effortlessly manages a successful profession and an increasingly demanding dedication to art. David allows two different personalities to co-live, and openly admits that journalism and art are completely disconnected. ”You can’t look for a connection between the two. Few people among my acquaintances know that I produce art. I do feel the split, and when I am a journalist there is nothing that connects me to art, I am a completely different person.” And when I ask him what kind of person David-the-journalist is, he laughs and answers diplomatically: ”Well, maybe you should ask my colleagues.” Instead, while talking about David-the-artist he reveals to be a patient and visionary person.
”You need to be extremely patient when you start a new artwork. Oil painting takes time and helps to define your character, to improve it, and I would certainly agree that art can be therapeutic. The process starts with the preparation of the canvas after which you draw the subject and finally add the colours, that, indeed, need time to dry. It can take you up to a month to finish one piece. And then, you look at your work from the opposite side of the room and maybe you realize you don’t like it. When this happens I need to leave the painting for few days before going back to it.”
One of the most original features of David’s paintings is the attempt to merge an exquisitely Western technique with African figures. When it comes to the technique, David says that his inspiration was the Dutch Vincent van Gogh, one of the world’s best known post-Impressionist artists. ”I bumped into Vincent van Gogh years ago while I was reading through one of my sister’s art books – David explains – and I was inspired by him. His style is by no means African and I thought I would try to blend Western technique with African figures. In that painting – David continues, pointing at one of the two framed pieces placed on the couch – I tried to reproduce van Gogh’s technique.” In fact, the technique used by David in his framed painting recalls the Dutch artist’s masterpiece Starry Night.
Another source of inspiration for David was Philip Kwesiga, former Dean of the School of Industrial and Fine Arts of Makerere University. ”He is a master in figurative art. Thanks to him, I learnt to appreciate figurative style which should not be confused with realism. Realism represents a figure accurately in its smallest details, nearly like a photograph. Instead, in the figurative art I like and produce you can recognize the shape of a person or an animal but not their features.”
The subjects in David painting are in motion, nothing is still. ”With my art things must not be dormant, there has to be some action in the piece.” An element that gives motion to David’s pictures is the immodest use of colours, which are abstract and very intense. ”I abandoned the brushes three years ago and have been using palette knives ever since. The effect produced by the palette knife is really magic! When you use it on one side it gives a shade of colour that changes when you use it on the other side creating effects that maybe you had not thought about. I feel inspired by the colours, they ignite my imagination.” Red seems to be David’s favourite. ”I really like red and it is hard to find a piece of mine which does not have it.” Because of his fondness for the red colour – often associated with feelings of anger and annoyance – David admits that sometimes people think he may be a disturbed personality. ”I can assure you I am not,” David says laughing amused. Red is indeed a powerful colour that evokes also passion and is believed to make the heart beat faster. ”It is a colour that shouts – David adds – and that’s why I love it.”
Since when David stopped painting as a pastime and began creating art for the public, he had his pieces displayed at an annual exhibition at Nomo Gallery in Kampala. His plan now is to organize an exhibition in Rwanda. ”If the exhibition in Kigali goes well, I would like to show my paintings in Nairobi. I strongly believe that Kenya is ‘the’ market and as soon as I am ready I will try to penetrate it.”
David-the-artist seems to be taking an increasingly bigger part in David’s life and I cannot but wonder what will happen to David-the-journalist. David is passionate about his profession as a journalist and would not be willing to easily give it up, but he admits, that if he was forced to choose between ‘the two Davids’, he would pick up artist.
To contact David Musoke: keziodk@yahoo.com or keziomusoke@gmail.com
SOME OF DAVID MUSOKE’S ARTWORKS:
Crane, symbol of Uganda
The rhythm of the music
Elephants
Zebras
1 Comment
July 17, 2009 at 5:11 pm
…I suppose all of us should develop an artistic alternative to the everyday life! …helps out in opening one’s mind view …dismissing bad energies loaded during professional activities …increasing sensibilities in different ways! …maybe somone shouldn’t do too many things at same time, like someone I know well, without being really concentrated on any …but the right way must be “in between”…