June 10, 2024 - June 16, 2024
Afriart Gallery is looking forward to present Ugandan artists Mona Taha (b.1988) and Richard Atugonza (b.1994) in Basel for the first time!
The work of Taha and Atugonza oftentimes serves as a microcosm for broader, societal, religious and political themes. Through their distinct visual language, they present individual stories of everyday people, often mundane and seemingly personal ones, to offer a lens through which to explore complex and hidden layers of humanity. Individual narratives serve as powerful metaphors for broader issues; they shed light on the interconnectedness of personal experiences from within the artists' communities and their socio-political structures.
Mona Taha’s recent body of work shows figures in their private, often domestic environments, mostly in moments of rest, solitude or introspection. Figures in grey and black tones juxtaposed against collage fragments of abstract colourful inks and watercolour create two worlds, demonstrating the state of ambiguity the characters find themselves in – juggling between the politics of the world, identity, social dynamics, and the intimate moments of stillness, pause and reflection they are shown in, they radiate an aura of freedom.
Richard Atugonza presents to us hidden struggles, triumphs and the every-day experiences from his community. The stories he unveils are personal, carefully uncovered through the making process of his sculptures, and serve as a window into the very fabric of society. Through his choice of material and sustainable sourcing of the same, he also delves into environmental issues. He, on the one hand, gives insights into the complex effects of environmental neglect on the individual and, on the other hand, gently pointing us towards the interconnectedness between individual choices and global environmental challenges and the need for both individual and collective action to tackle the issue.
