A portrait of humanity’s complex existence

In the exhibition, Unknown Occupant, the artist works with symbolism to explore the tension between visibility and anonymity that we grapple with as humans

Kampala, Uganda | DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | John Baptist Sekubulwa’s new solo show at the Naguru Summit Residences is about the ambiguity of life and how humans are always in pursuit of finding meaning behind this mystery. As a way to construct a powerful visual narrative around this topic, the artist works with childlike and alien characters that inspire ambiguity and suspense in his paintings, and this draws the viewers closer to the work. The comic characters with globose eyes evoke the artist’s past, where he had a passion for cartoon characters, while the zig-zag patterns that are dressed on their bodies are reminiscent of the analogue television search for a signal. On the other hand, the shape of these characters that is identical to the iPhone and digital icons is a representation of the present where new technologies and digital information dominate and prevail. Hence, within this dichotomy of the past and present, represented by these respective motifs, the artist delicately confronts different aspects of everyday life that reveal our complex existence.

The artist’s technique to evoke his triple heritage: religion, colonial culture and traditional culture in his art, inspires an innate quality in the artworks while providing an authentic storytelling atmosphere. In The Negotiator and Modern Eastern Redeemer, the artist creates a background that is familiar to the interior architectural design of Roman Catholic churches with their stained-glass doors and windows. He further suggests the concept of the Last Supper with the twelve disciples seated around the table in the centrepiece, The Negotiator, to illustrate his deep knowledge and understanding of Christian theology. Though the artist controversially conjures these religious motifs and scenes, his ability to juxtapose them with contemporary themes and symbols elevates his work to the status of intellectual art. The weight of symbolism – the childlike and alien-like characters with abstract stares communicating hidden emotions alongside familiar still objects often placed awkwardly in the foreground of the paintings – creates an atmosphere of ambiguity and suspense that inextricably fascinates the viewer, prompting them to draw their own interpretations of the artworks.

Yet one can discern a sense of sarcasm in these paintings that make the hard topics they interrogate palatable to the audience. In Modern Eastern Redeemer, United States Lol and Delayed, the subject matter is peppered with sarcasm to tone down its political connotations. The depiction of the characters with their mouths concealed with white tape and staring blankly back at the viewer, and in between them is a judicial wing whose face has been transformed into an entrance that is blocked with green banknotes and military bombs, and in the far distance is a glitzy city with skyscrapers, conjures a familiar corruption scandal in the recent past that gripped the attention of many Ugandans.

This sarcastic tone is extended in many of the paintings on showcase to create an easy interpretation and understanding of the complex subject of our reality that sometimes can be confusing. For example, where the “Unknown” is always known to us, how our minds define it often gives it an anonymous presence or how we perceive, understand and apply the concept of recognition in our everyday lives. Who is seen, who remains invisible? Who determines legibility and illegibility? In this, the deployment of comic imagery on his canvases goes beyond the artist’s digging into his past and extracting what he’s familiar with but is also a clever ploy by him to create a calm and innocent-like atmosphere where such a difficult conversation can be instigated and reflected on. Here, the artist’s natural obsession with introspection and constant questioning is not only revealed but can also be used as a form of inspiration to the viewer to delve into deeper dialogue with the art on display.

By putting up this show at a non-traditional art space, the artist is intent on luring another type of audience to his work but more so on creating a statement that this art is for everyone and therefore should be seen and perhaps appreciated by anyone who has access to this space. The Naguru Summit Residences is an upscale residential and recreational complex that is patronized by the Ugandan upper middle class and some expatriate communities. For this type of people, besides having the resources to afford an affluent lifestyle, they are inextricably involved in the decision-making that happens behind closed doors but often ironically affects the social and political wellbeing of the masses. As such, this body of work primarily speaks to them because of their access to power and influence.

The exhibition Unknown Occupant is a portrait of humanity’s complex existence where our past influences our present and how our reality as humans is often conditioned by what we know or understand. In interrogating this ambiguity, the artist works with a myriad of symbols extracted from the past and present to suggest the idea of the unknown, which is often hidden from us by the limitation of our knowledge. Yet the artist makes the argument that there’s beauty in what we cannot fully grasp. According to him, the unknown is not the lack but a condition of possibility, opportunity and he effectively illustrates this through this body of work that not only gives him an opportunity to reinvent himself on canvas but to also freely probe the most delicate subjects that affect our everyday life.

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The exhibition Unknown Occupant is showing now at the Naguru Summit Residences, located on Naguru Summit View Road, Kampala. Images are courtesy of the artist.