Relief Birds Sculptures at AKA art gallery

The relief sculptures celebrate and provide a documentation of the rare species of birds, but also offer opportunities to reflect on the subject of innovation in contemporary art through the artist’s technique of working with banana fibre collage as an alternative media.

ART | DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | The artworks are simple and complex at the same time, inviting instant curiosity from the audience. These different species of birds in the solo show Aesthetic of the Natural World at AKA art gallery are sculpted from banana fibre that is painted on to give them an identity of both painting and sculpture. In this, the artist, Yakuze Ivan, seemingly creates a fusion of his past body of work of assemblages produced from bark cloth and found objects and now his recent innovation of bird relief sculptures that reflect his unwavering passion to connect with nature and his knack to provide social commentary through art.

From the shy and elusive Shoebill to the large and distinctive black and white Hornbill with its long casque beak, and from the elegant Crested Crane to the amazing Great Blue Turaco, the artist delicately explores the unique beauty of each of these tropical birds with his emphasis on their natural character facilitated by his incisive eye that ably captures significant traits in each bird. For example, the shoebill is depicted standing with its mate, and though it is paired, its solitary character and shyness cannot be hidden. The artist’s artistic ploy to animate one of the birds is intended to draw the viewer’s attention to this evident irony that sharply contradicts the bird’s natural character. On the other hand, one will notice the reserved or docile disposition of its peer that clearly reveals the true nature of this bird that is closely linked to the pelicans.

This form of exploration reveals these birds’ sculptures more as art and not craft. Nonetheless, the delicate relationship of art and craft in his work is critical to expose how the two creative genres are interrelated and can coexist without tension. The banana fibre is an inexpensive material found within the community the artist lives and works in. Because it is organic and affordable like bark cloth, it can be interpreted as a material for craft making. However, the manner in which the artist works with the material through the process of manipulation, intricately gives it a new identity as an alternative media but also as a material that delicately prompts conversation on the subject of environment conservation and sustainability. Banana fibre can be recycled in art to avert challenges of waste management in our communities.

The exhibition, Aesthetic of the Natural World, is more than a celebration of the rare species of birds that are continuously facing extinction and an opportunity to document them for posterity. It also critically incites conversations on the subject of innovation and experimentation in contemporary art. A closer observation of this body of work reveals the creative ingenuity in the artist’s choice of material, how he applies the material in his work and how he uses the material and technique to confront contemporary issues. It is this approach that raises the profile of his work in this exhibition, as the audience is provoked to reflect on the ability of art to create powerful commentary on topical issues.

*****

The exhibition Aesthetics of the Natural World is open at AKA art gallery, located on Plot 44 Bukoto Street Kamyokya, next to Alliance Française and Goethe Zentrum Kampala (UGCS) offices.