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HII STORY YA AFRICAN ART

MTARA: THE BRUSHWORK

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RIENG’: THE KNOWN UNIVERSE

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HEALING OF A NATION

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AFRICAN ART

> INSTRUMENTS OF THE UNIVERSE

> THE WORK OF OUR HANDS

MTARA: THE BRUSHWORK

> A PAINTED PLANET

> ILLUSTRATION

RIENG’: THE KNOWN UNIVERSE

> CELESTIAL COLOURS

> UNIVERSAL PATTERNS

The aim of this issue is to place African art in its social context rather than aesthetic appeal, stylistic zones, and the formal qualities of art objects.

Art is disturbing to the comfortable but comforts the disturbed.

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THE SPAN OF POSSIBILITIES

HII STORY YA AFRICAN ART

INSTRUMENTS OF THE UNIVERSE

African Art

Africa is incontrovetibly known as the cradle of humankind. Many anthropologists suggest that the defining quality in Africa and its evolution is the creative aspect these people demonstrated. Some of the characteristics of African art may be difficult to summarize in a few sentences as it is too diverse. Other than the entertainment purpose, there were also political and ideological aspects, with instrumentalism in rituals and aesthetics.

In most cases, African art was made up of several elements. The specifics of the African cultural art will represent the many creative expressions these people exhibited, not only in the formal setting of paintings and sculptures but also in what would be available in art galleries. Some of the elements of traditional African art include;

• The ancient visual arts, which are more figurative, focused on the three dimensions of the human form, mind, body, and the divine/ supernatural, all with a functional purpose.

• The African creative culture also involved high performance due to music and dance. These two were the key to worship, society festivals, and other forms of expression. However, there is little record of these forms of expression as generations erode their culture to adopt more western forms of expression.

• The African narrative was primarily oral. In West Africa, for example, there were professionals known as griots or griottes. They were responsible for passing down African history from generation to generation through storytelling and sometimes accompanied by music.

• African art had a specific concept in its design, which was primarily fractal geometry. Focusing specifically on sub-Saharan traditional African art, some of the general qualities included;

• Innovative and creative, where artists focused on invention and originality in their different works.

• There was a visual abstraction, meaning their works were minor in realism and more on abstract features.

• The works focused on decorating and adorning the human form through tattoos, piercings, painting of the body, masks, and unique designs in their clothing and jewelry.

African Art History

African art history has played a significant role in shaping the culture and history of the world. The belief that Africa is the cradle of the history of mankind is virtually unshakeable. The origins of African art history lie long before recorded history, preserved in the obscurity of time. Rock Art is centuries old, while shell beads fashioned for a necklace have been recovered in a cave in the furthest reach of the southern peninsula of South Africa that are 75 000 years old.

A study of African art history indicates the earliest sculpture forms found come from Nigeria and are dated around 500BC. However, the lack of archaeological excavations inhibits knowledge of the antiquity of African art and the sheer disposable nature of the raw materials used in the creation of art objects means that an untold wealth of pieces have disintegrated in time.

Compounding this, as these objects were not coveted as aesthetic accomplishments by the indigenous communities who created them, no effort was made to preserve them. Often their value was negligible once their function was performed.

Foreign colonization of most countries in sub-Saharan Africa took place from 1840 onwards and different values became omnipresent. A lot of African art was acquired for curious means by travelers, traders and missionaries in the century before and left the continent. Colonialists most often did not give indigenous art the merit and attention it deserved and thereby African art history was not preserved or documented.

There has been a huge emphasis on Central African art history for two reasons, one being that the communities who resided there were the most sedentary of the tribes in Africa and secondly, that they produced figurative sculptures that Western collectors could most easily identify with as ‘art’; as they defined it.

The basic subject is the human figure and strong formal qualities were exhibited with strong design features creating balance and harmony. These formal design qualities combined with a powerful spirituality and expressive vigor attracted early twentieth century artists to explore new dynamics in visual art and became the birthstone for modern day abstraction.

Ancient African Art

The ancient Africans had limited access to resources as opposed to most people today, and all their energy focused on survival of the fittest. Consequently, their creativity would rarely focus on artistic expressions or beauty under these conditions. Instead, ancient African art was mainly used to represent social or spiritual roles. For instance, they used particular clothing to mark some religious festivities or communicate class and societal status.

West African art, such as that of Ghanaians, had the kente cloth, which they had been weaving long before colonization. Weapons and tools were also a big part of ancient art, both as an embellishment or for functional purposes.

The main artistic terms used to describe African art include medium and genre. In art, the artistic medium describes the material through which the art is expressed, explaining the means of expression. For instance, pastel, watercolor, rock, or marble could be mediums. On the other hand, genre defines the category in which the art comes. These art forms include dance, sculptures, paintings, architecture, and even jazz. Unfortunately, due to the scarcity of resources, and socioeconomic factors, many famous ancient African art was not durable due to the perishability of the media used, such as wood.

The aim of this article is to place African tribal art in its social context rather than to discuss aesthetic appeal, stylistic zones, and the formal qualities of art objects.

Art and Kinship

The most important feature of many African societies, and the source of political action within them, is kinship, in the form of corporate lineage organizations. Art frequently serves as an adjunct and symbol of the powers of lineage and clan.

The Art of the African Kingdoms

Art is universally a means of glorifying persons of rank. The presence of objects elaborately carved in such precious materials as gold, silver, or ivory usually indicates the presence of a ruling class, surplus wealth, and the wherewithal to employ specialized craftsmen. In Africa, most lost-wax bronze castings, for example, require a highly specialized production technique and although it is not an art entirely restricted to kingdoms, it receives its greatest elaboration where the chief or a wealthy caste can afford to maintain a group of specialized artists.

Art for Art’s Sake

African art is multi-functional: it serves as a handmaiden of government, religion, and even economics. It also serves to entertain. West African masquerades, in particular, belie the generalization that in traditional African cultures there is no such thing as art for art’s sake. Even when performances are associated with ritual and belief, aesthetics and theatricality are never ignored. In many West African societies, masquerades appear during the second burial ceremonies performed for all dead adults.

Influence on modern art and architecture of African art history

At the start of the 20th C, many artists such as Derain, Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani became enthralled by African art and began to visit the Trocadero museum in Paris to gaze upon the unique forms, absorbing all that was presented before them.

These artists saw in this art a formal perfection countered by abstraction, asymmetry by balance, primitivism with sophistication of design. They responded to this raw expressive power with all their faculties, not only with sight but with imagination and emotion and experienced a mystical and spiritual encounter.

This absorption exploded in a fascination in abstraction, organization and reorganization of forms, and the exploration of emotional and psychological areas that had not been investigated before. It helped them move beyond the naturalism that had defined Western art up to this point.

Patterning on surfaces, most notably exterior walls and the other was a new attitude to spatial environments, spaces that do not just conform to human size, to function and form but also to the psychology of human nature.

Architects such as Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer expressed themselves giving brutal form to structures and monumentalized buildings. They introduced long linear vertical lines and embellished their structures with textured murals and large basreliefs based on the nonlinear scaling of geometric shapes that is particular to African decoration. African art history has had untold influence on the global art world.

RADA PLACES: THE RAILWAY MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY

The railway played an important role in establishing the city of Nairobi, and the Nairobi Railway Museum, located at the northwest end of Nairobi Station, gives you an insight into the historical and commercial significance of rail travel in Kenya. Time-honoured in 1971 by the East African Railways and Harbour Company, the museum is now under the administration of the National Museum of Kenya and features relics and records of the railways found in East Africa, such as a collection of steam locomotives, rolling stock, small exhibits, models and many other artefacts. The museums four sections are divided into a main gallery, museum resource centre, auditorium and outdoor display area. The main gallery is where you will find company crests of the railways of East Africa, the most prominent being the Uganda Railways, Tanganyika Railways, Kenya Railways and East Africa Railways. Other exhibits in the main gallery are original railway blueprints, construction models and smaller items such as oil-burning headlamp, trolley bicycle, steam-operated bell, wood stove, Bombay lounge chair, tableware and a bench seat that was used by distinguished passengers, such as Theodore Roosevelt and the Prince of Wales. In the outdoor section, you find Beyer-Garratt meter gauge locomotives, as well as a collection of carriages.

The main collection here is housed in an old railway building and consists of relics from the East African Railway. There are train and ship models, photographs, tableware and oddities from the history of the railway, such as the engine seat that allowed visiting dignitaries like Theodore Roosevelt to take pot shots at unsuspecting wildlife from the front of the train. In the grounds are dozens of fading locomotives in various states of disrepair, dating from the steam days to independence. You can walk around the carriages at your leisure. At the back of the compound is the steam train used in the movie Out of Africa. It’s a fascinating introduction to this important piece of colonial history.

THE WORK OF OUR HANDS

THE BRUSHWORK

Painting, the expression of ideas and emotions, with the creation of certain aesthetic qualities, in a two-dimensional visual language. The elements of this language—its shapes, lines, colours, tones, and textures—are used in various ways to produce sensations of volume, space, movement, and light on a flat surface. These elements are combined into expressive patterns in order to represent real or supernatural phenomena, to interpret a narrative theme, or to create wholly abstract visual relationships. An artist’s decision to use a particular medium, such as tempera, fresco, oil, acrylic, watercolour or other water-based paints, ink, gouache, encaustic, or casein, as well as the choice of a particular form, such as mural, easel, panel, miniature, manuscript illumination, scroll, screen or fan, panorama, or any of a variety of modern forms, is based on the sensuous qualities and the expressive possibilities and limitations of those options. The choices of the medium and the form, as well as the artist’s own technique, combine to realize a unique visual image.

Earlier cultural traditions—of tribes, religions, guilds, royal courts, and states—largely controlled the craft, form, imagery, and subject matter of painting and determined its function, whether ritualistic, devotional, decorative, entertaining, or educational. Painters were employed more as skilled artisans than as creative artists. Later the notion of the “fine artist” developed in Asia and Renaissance Europe. Prominent painters were afforded the social status of scholars and courtiers; they signed their work, decided its design and often its subject and imagery, and established a more personal—if not always amicable— relationship with their patrons.

A PAINTED PLANET MURALS

A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.

The word mural is a Spanish adjective that is used to refer to what is attached to a wall. The term mural later became a noun. In art, the word mural began to be used at the beginning of the 20th century.In 1906, Dr. Atl issued a manifesto calling for the development of a monumental public art movement in Mexico; he named it in Spanish pintura mural (English: wall painting).In ancient Roman times, a mural crown was given to the fighter who was first to scale the wall of a besieged town. “Mural” comes from the Latin muralis, meaning “wall painting”.

Antique art

Murals of sorts date to Upper Paleolithic times such as the cave paintings in the Lubang Jeriji Saléh cave in Borneo. Many ancient murals have been found within ancient Egyptian tombs (around 3150 BC), the Minoan palaces (Middle period III of the Neopalatial period, 1700–1600 BC), the Oxtotitlán cave and Juxtlahuaca in Mexico (around 1200-900 BC) and in Pompeii (around 100 BC – AD 79).

During the Middle Ages murals were usually executed on dry plaster (secco). The huge collection of Kerala mural painting dating from the 14th century are examples of fresco secco. In Italy, circa 1300, the technique of painting of frescos on wet plaster was reintroduced and led to a significant increase in the quality of mural painting.

Modern art

The term mural became better known with the Mexican muralism art movement (Diego Rivera, David Siqueiros and José Orozco). The first mural painted in the 20th century, was “El árbol de la vida”, by Roberto Montenegro.

There are many different styles and techniques. The best-known is probably fresco, which uses pigments dispersed in water with a damp lime wash, rapid use of the resulting mixture over a large surface, and often in parts (but with a sense of the whole). The colors lighten as they dry. The marouflage method has also been used for millennia.

Murals today are painted in a variety of ways, using oil or water-based media. The styles can vary from abstract to trompe-l’œil (a French term for “fool” or “trick the eye”). Initiated by the works of mural artists like Graham Rust or Rainer Maria Latzke in the 1980s, trompe-l’œil painting has experienced a renaissance in private and public buildings in Europe. Today, the beauty of a wall mural has become much more widely available with a technique whereby a painting or photographic image is transferred to poster paper or canvas which is then pasted to a wall surface (see wallpaper, Frescography) to give the effect of either a hand-painted mural or realistic scene.

A special type of mural painting is Lüftlmalerei, still practiced today in the villages of the Alpine valleys. Well-known examples of such façade designs from the 18th and 19th centuries can be found in Mittenwald, Garmisch, Unter- and Oberammergau.

Technique

The 18th-century BC fresco of the Investiture of Zimrilim discovered at the Royal Palace of ancient Mari in Syria. In the history of mural several methods have been used: A fresco painting, from the Italian word affresco which derives from the adjective fresco (“fresh”), describes a method in which the paint is applied on plaster on walls or ceilings. The buon fresco technique consists of painting in pigment mixed with water on a thin layer of wet, fresh, lime mortar or plaster. The pigment is then absorbed by the wet plaster; after a number of hours, the plaster dries and reacts with the air: it is this chemical reaction which fixes the pigment particles in the plaster. After this the painting stays for a long time up to centuries in fresh and brilliant colors. Fresco-secco painting is done on dry plaster (secco is “dry” in Italian). The pigments thus require a binding medium, such as egg (tempera), glue or oil to attach the pigment to the wall. Mezzo-fresco is painted on nearly-dry plaster, and was defined by the sixteenth-century author Ignazio Pozzo as “firm enough not to take a thumb-print” so that the pigment only penetrates slightly into the plaster. By the end of the sixteenth century this had largely displaced the buon fresco method, and was used by painters such as Gianbattista Tiepolo or Michelangelo. This technique had, in reduced form, the advantages of a secco work.

Material

In Greco-Roman times, mostly encaustic colors applied in a cold state were used. Tempera painting is one of the oldest known methods in mural painting. In tempera, the pigments are bound in an albuminous medium such as egg yolk or egg white diluted in water. In 16th-century Europe, oil painting on canvas arose as an easier method for mural painting. The advantage was that the artwork could be completed in the artist’s studio and later transported to its destination and there attached to the wall or ceiling. Oil paint may be a less satisfactory medium for murals because of its lack of brilliance in colour. Also, the pigments are yellowed by the binder or are more easily affected by atmospheric conditions.

Different muralists tend to become experts in their preferred medium and application, whether that be oil paints, emulsion or acrylic paints applied by brush, roller or airbrush/aerosols. Clients will often ask for a particular style and the artist may adjust to the appropriate technique.

A consultation usually leads to detailed design and layout of the proposed mural with a price quote that the client approves before the muralist starts on the work. The area to be painted can be gridded to match the design allowing the image to be scaled accurately step by step. In some cases, the design is projected straight onto the wall and traced with pencil before painting begins. Some muralists will paint directly without any prior sketching, preferring the spontaneous technique.

Once completed the mural can be given coats of varnish or protective acrylic glaze to protect the work from UV rays and surface damage.

In modern, quick form of muralling, young enthusiasts also use POP clay mixed with glue or bond to give desired models on canvas board. The canvas is later set aside to let the clay dry. Once dried, the canvas and the shape can be painted with your choice of colors and later coated with varnish. As an alternative to a hand-painted or airbrushed mural, digitally printed murals can also be applied to surfaces. Already existing murals can be photographed and then be reproduced in near-to-original quality.

The disadvantages of pre-fabricated murals and decals are that they are often mass-produced and lack the allure and exclusivity of original artwork. They are often not fitted to the individual wall sizes of the client and their personal ideas or wishes cannot be added to the mural as it progresses. The Frescography technique, a digital manufacturing method (CAM) invented by Rainer Maria Latzke addresses some of the personalization and size restrictions. Digital techniques are commonly used in advertisements. A “wallscape” is a large advertisement on or attached to the outside wall of a building. Wallscapes can be painted directly on the wall as a mural, or printed on vinyl and securely attached to the wall in the manner of a billboard. Although not strictly classed as murals, large scale printed media are often referred to as such. Advertising murals were traditionally painted onto buildings and shops by sign-writers, later as large scale poster billboards.

Significance

Murals are important as they bring art into the public sphere. Due to the size, cost, and work involved in creating a mural, muralists must often be commissioned by a sponsor. Often it is the local government or a business, but many murals have been paid for with grants of patronage. For artists, their work gets a wide audience who otherwise might not set foot in an art gallery. A city benefits by the beauty of a work of art.

Murals can be a relatively effective tool of social emancipation or achieving a political goal. Murals have sometimes been created against the law, or have been commissioned by local bars and coffee shops. Often, the visual effects are an enticement to attract public attention to social issues. State-sponsored public art expressions, particularly murals, are often used by totalitarian regimes as a tool of propaganda. However, despite the propagandist character of that works, some of them still have an artistic value. Murals can have a dramatic impact whether consciously or subconsciously on the attitudes of passers-by, when they are added to areas where people live and work. It can also be argued that the presence of large, public murals can add aesthetic improvement to the daily lives of residents or that of employees at a corporate venue. Large-format hand-painted murals were the norm for advertisements in cities across America, before the introduction of vinyl and digital posters. It was an expensive form of advertising with strict signage laws but gained attention and improved local aesthetics. Other world-famous murals can be found in Mexico, New York City, Philadelphia, Belfast, Derry, Los Angeles, Nicaragua, Cuba, the Philippines, and in India. They have functioned as an important means of communication for members of socially, ethnically and racially divided communities in times of conflict. They also proved to be an effective tool in establishing a dialogue and hence solving the cleavage in the long run. The Indian state Kerala has exclusive murals. These Kerala mural painting are on walls of Hindu temples. They can be dated from 9th century AD. The San Bartolo murals of the Maya civilization in Guatemala, are the oldest example of this art in Mesoamerica and are dated at 300 BC. Many rural towns have begun using murals to create tourist attractions in order to boost economic income. Colquitt, Georgia was chosen to host the 2010 Global Mural Conference. The town had more than twelve murals completed, and hosted the Conference along with Dothan, Alabama, and Blakely, Georgia.

Politics

The Mexican mural movement in the 1930s brought new prominence to murals as a social and political tool. Diego Rivera, José Orozco and David Siqueiros were the most famous artists of the movement. Between 1932 and 1940, Rivera also painted murals in San Francisco, Detroit, and New York City. In 1933, he completed a famous series of twenty-seven fresco panels entitled Detroit Industry on the walls of an inner court at the Detroit Institute of Arts. During the McCarthyism of the 1950s, a large sign was placed in the courtyard defending the artistic merit of the murals while attacking his politics as “detestable”. In 1948, the Colombian government hosted the IX Pan-American Conference to establish the Marshall plan for the Americas. The director of the OEA and the Colombian government commissioned master Santiago Martinez Delgado, to paint a mural in the Colombian congress building to commemorate the event. Martinez decided to make it about the Cúcuta Congress, and painted Bolívar in front of Santander, making liberals upset; so, due to the murder of Jorge Elieser Gaitan the mobs of el bogotazo tried to burn the capitol, but the Colombian Army stopped them. Years later, in the 1980s, with liberals in charge of the Congress, they passed a resolution to turn the whole chamber in the Elliptic Room 90 degrees to put the main mural on the side and commissioned Alejandro Obregon to paint a non-partisan mural in the surrealist style. Northern Ireland contains some of the most famous political murals in the world. Almost 2,000 murals have been documented in Northern Ireland since the 1970s. In recent times, many murals are non-sectarian, concerning political and social issues such as racism and environmentalism, and many are completely apolitical, depicting children at play and scenes from everyday life. (See Northern Irish murals.) A not political, but social related mural covers a wall in an old building, once a prison, at the top of a cliff in Bardiyah, in Libya. It was painted and signed by the artist in April 1942, weeks before his death on the first day of the First Battle of El Alamein. Known as the Bardia Mural, it was created by English artist, Private John Frederick Brill. In 1961 East Germany began to erect a wall between East and West Berlin, which became famous as the Berlin Wall. While on the East Berlin side painting was not allowed, artists painted on the Western side of the Wall from the 80s until the fall of the Wall in 1989. Many unknown and known artists such as Thierry Noir and Keith Haring painted on the Wall, the “World’s longest canvas”. The sometimes detailed artwork were often painted over within hours or days. On the Western side the Wall was not protected, so everybody could paint on the Wall. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the Eastern side of the Wall became also a popular “canvas” for many mural and graffiti artists. Orgosolo, in Sardinia, is a most important center of murals politics. It is also common for mural graffiti to be used as a memoir. In the 2001 book Somebody Told Me, Rick Bragg writes about a series of communities, mainly located in New York, that have walls dedicated to the people who died. These memorials, both written word and mural style, provide the deceased to be present in the communities in which they lived. Bragg states that the “murals have woven themselves in the fabric of the neighborhoods, and the city”. These memorials remind people of the deaths caused by inner city violence.

Contemporary interior design

Traditional

Many people like to express their individuality by commissioning an artist to paint a mural in their home. This is not an activity exclusively for owners of large houses. A mural artist is only limited by the fee and therefore the time spent on the painting; dictating the level of detail; a simple mural can be added to the smallest of walls. Private commissions can be for dining rooms, bathrooms, living rooms or, as is often the case- children’s bedrooms. A child’s room can be transformed into the ‘fantasy world’ of a forest or racing track, encouraging imaginative play and an awareness of art. The current trend for feature walls has increased commissions for muralists in the UK. A large hand-painted mural can be designed on a specific theme, incorporate personal images and elements and may be altered during the course of painting it. The personal interaction between client and muralist is often a unique experience for an individual not usually involved in the arts. In the 1980s, illusionary wall painting experienced a renaissance in private homes. The reason for this revival in interior design could, in some cases be attributed to the reduction in living space for the individual. Faux architectural features, as well as natural scenery and views, can have the effect of ‘opening out’ the walls. Densely built-up areas of housing may also contribute to people’s feelings of being cut off from nature in its free form. A mural commission of this sort may be an attempt by some people to re-establish a balance with nature. Commissions of murals in schools, hospitals, and retirement homes can achieve a pleasing and welcoming atmosphere in these caring institutions. Murals in other public buildings, such as public houses are also common.

Graffiti-style

Recently, graffiti and street art have played a key role in contemporary wall painting. Such graffiti/ street artists as Keith Haring, Shepard Fairey, Above, Mint&Serf, Futura 2000, Os Gemeos, and Faile among others have successfully transcended their street art aesthetic beyond the walls of urban landscape and onto walls of private and corporate clients. As graffiti/street art became more mainstream in the late 1990s, youth-oriented brands such as Nike and Red Bull, with Wieden Kennedy, have turned to graffiti/street artists to decorate walls of their respective offices. This trend continued through 2000’s with graffiti/street art gaining more recognition from art institutions worldwide.

Ethnic

Many homeowners choose to display the traditional art and culture of their society or events from their history in their homes. Ethnic murals have become an important form of interior decoration. Warli painting murals are becoming a preferred mode of wall decor in India. Warli painting is an ancient Indian art form in which the tribal people used to depict different phases of their life on the walls of their mud houses.

Tile

Tile murals are murals made out of stone, ceramic, porcelain, glass and or metal tiles that are installed within, or added onto the surface of an existing wall. They are also inlaid into floors. Mural tiles are painted, glazed, sublimation printed (as described below) or more traditionally cut out of stone, ceramic, mosaic glass (opaque) and stained glass. Some artists use pottery and plates broken into pieces. Unlike the traditional painted murals described above, tile murals are always made by fitting pieces of the selected materials together to create the design or image.

Mosaic murals are made by combining small 1/4” to 2” size pieces of colorful stone, ceramic, or glass tiles which are then laid out to create a picture. Modern day technology has allowed commercial mosaic mural makers to use computer programs to separate photographs into colors that are automatically cut and glued onto sheets of mesh creating precise murals fast and in large quantities.

The azulejo, refers to a typical form of Portuguese or Spanish painted, tin-glazed, ceramic tilework. They have become a typical aspect of Portuguese culture, manifesting without interruption during five centuries, the consecutive trends in art.

Azulejos can be found inside and outside churches, palaces, ordinary houses and even railway stations or subway stations.

They were not only used as an ornamental art form, but also had a specific functional capacity like temperature control in homes. Many azulejos chronicle major historical and cultural aspects of Portuguese history.

Custom-printed tile murals can be produced using digital images for kitchen splashbacks, wall displays, and flooring. Digital photos and artwork can be resized and printed to accommodate the desired size for the area to be decorated. Custom tile printing uses a variety of techniques including dye sublimation and ceramic-type laser toners. The latter technique can yield fade-resistant custom tiles which are suitable for long term exterior exposure.

RADA PEOPLE

MOHA GRAFIX

Walk in the streets of Nairobi and chances are that you will come across a ‘pimped up’ matatu spotting some graffiti, a raised rear and shiny rims. You will be looking at a culture started by Mohammed Ali, or Moha, as he is popularly known. Armed with nothing but passion and ambition, the self-styled king of graffiti set to transform the matatu industry by introducing a hitherto unknown culture that initially raised eyebrows in an otherwise conservative society. And he had the unenviable task of convincing vehicle owners to pay for it. But they did. What has the journey to creating Moha Grafix been like?

In the beginning…

You will not believe it, but I had no business plan. I was just another bored youth working as a hardware salesman. I performed badly. All I knew was that my passion lay in art and the job of being a salesman never gave me any drive. When my boss saw that I had no drive for his job, he gave me my salary, about Sh4,500, and let me go. I went to a nearby garage where I met a friend who needed his vehicle decorated. Sadly, my first independent job was a disaster. In fact, they rubbed off my work from the vehicle and as fate would have it, I was paid nothing. That was around 1999. I went back home depressed. Then I went from garage to garage looking for work I knew little about. A friend called me to his garage and told me his in-house designer was away. I was again given a bus to decorate. It took me a month to do the job through trial and error.

The breakthrough

In 2004, I worked on a job that turned out to be my big moment. I painted a 14-seater matatu known as Ganja Farm where we put the huge rear wheels that raised it somewhat. It became an instant hit. But contrary to expectations, I made no more than Sh1,500. In fact, I never made money for close to two years, but my name was being noticed through subsequent referrals that more than compensated for the little cash I made.

Poor business plan

I made poor business decisions in those early days that sunk any little profits I earned. For example, I would subcontract painting jobs to others without looking at how that would shrink my profit margins. So I ended up paying the third party more money than I made. In addition, I would not know when they did a good job because I was not a proficient painter. That, however, made me determined to learn more about the job. For example, after watching how the painters did the job, I determined that I was going to paint the next vehicle myself. That is how I sealed the loopholes that were haemorrhaging my cash. Lesson? Never be afraid of failure. I learnt that I had to fail in order to succeed at some point. You failed yesterday so that you can make today better.

From a one-man show to a team

Initially, I worked all alone. But later the business grew to a point where I had over 45 young people working for me, well, before Covid-19, but reduced the workforce to 10 people. At the height of the business, we would work on 10 matatus a week. I have also trained about 200 young people over the years. I charge about Sh50,000 to train a person depending on the time taken. That is some additional cash into the business.

Marketing myself

Marketing? I have never had a formal marketing strategy. Actually, I am my own marketer usually through my social media posts. Then there is word of mouth from satisfied customers. The good thing about my work is that you see it all the time. Just stand along any matatu route and my “billboard” will zoom past you. In any case, I never went to school beyond Form Four.

The secret to success

Always lead from the front. If you come to the garage, you will always find me in overalls and it will be difficult to distinguish me from the other workers. It is easier for them to take my instructions because they can see me living what I am preaching. If you are in business, however small, be like a general who leads his troops from the front. Be ready to take the bullet for your team rather than put the inexperienced soldiers in the battlefront. You will not inspire them if you are coming from behind.

A steep learning curve

Initially, I trusted people too much. I would work on a client’s vehicle then he ends up taking off with my money with promises of paying later. Some never did. That meant all those who worked on the vehicle had to go home empty-handed. Today though, you cannot take the vehicle from the workshop without full payment. In fact, I take a 75 per cent deposit just to cushion myself and my workers.

Graffiti is not cheap

Some vehicle owners spend between Sh500, 000 and Sh2 million depending on the amount of transformation required. Of course, my profit margins are small. In such a business, do not aim for mega-profits and scare away customers.

Is there money in art?

Your talent is your strength. Always work to perfect your skills and money will come. You see those young men in town who have learnt to work on ladies’ nails? They are not ashamed of what they do. I work with my hands and got a sharp mind. I have worked as a sweeper in a garage, a matatu driver and a tout as well. My cousin downplayed what I do but today I work on his car. God once asked the prophet whether a mountain should be transformed into gold so that his descendants would not need to work. He refused. “Give me today and I thank you, I lack tomorrow and I ask you,” he said. If the string is too tight and things are going well, it might just break. When you have little, something is just coming.

Future plans

I want to expand to Uganda and work on other vehicles in addition to those in public transport. The local market is shrinking because you know I have taught many people who are now doing this job.

Lesson in investment

It is important to own the land where your business is located since rent for a business can sometimes take up 70 per cent of your earnings. I was in Eastleigh for 18 years and though the rent there was minimal, I stayed too much in my comfort zone. I was not thinking wisely. The owner kicked me out as he had other plans for the property. Then I went to Industrial Area, an expensive part of the city where I was working for rent only. Again, the property owner threw me out. I went to Hurlingham for another two months. Then I was out again. Though we have rented the current premises along Riara Road, my plan is to own my place by end of 2021, inshallah.

Covid-19 hit us hard

We have had no walk-in customers in the height of the pandemic. Though we applied, no bank thought we were bankable enough. Even my landlord in Industrial Area was not patient with us. I have failed and risen again. But I believe Allah has to break you first in order to make you.

Never be afraid of competition

Competition makes you active. I must always be on my toes as there are others who can do this job now. I work smart, not just hard.

Treat all equally

I have met billionaires and poor ones as well. They all want me to do some work for them, either on a bicycle or a limousine. I do not treat the high and mighty with more respect than the lowly ones. I have grown this talent for the last 15 years and this is something I want to help others with.

Any plans to retire?

Not now. I will work till I am old. This is my passion, not just a career.

Your

will come.

talent is your strength. Always work to perfect your skills and money

ILLUSTRATION

Over the centuries, illustration has been the foundation for all of our visual traditions and civilizations, which artists have used to visually describe and portray concepts as well as stories. Just like art, illustration can objectively reflect what is taking place in the world around us, as well as creatively interpret theoretical and mental ideas. Diverse simple illustration styles can be used, by use of various media tools, to convey information, transform cultures and evoke emotions. In this article, we will be showing you what illustration is, different illustration types, and much more.

What Is Illustration?

The term “Illustration” is derived from “Illustrate” in Latin, which has the meaning of intellectual and spiritual enlightenment. In other words, illustration is a visualization that is made by various artists, which could be in the form of a painting, drawing, engraving, collage, photo, and so on, where the illustration need not be drawn, but could also merely be a photo in a book that explains what is written. You may look at a certain picture and be able to see the whole story behind it without reading any text. If you want to convey a story using an illustration, it means you are transmitting or passing on a certain meaning with the means of an image only.

Many simple illustration styles are portrayed in various formats such as children’s books, magazines, and comic books. However, just like many other art styles, illustration has also evolved together with technological advances.

From the traditional hand-drawn illustrations, digital art has emerged, where the computer now gives you digital illustrations that serve to clarify any written text. So, if a drawing or image is not explaining anything, is it still an illustration, or is it a work of art or a graphic design? Let us now try to explain the differences.

Works of Art

A work of art can be a sketch or a painting, but it is still a standalone piece that does not require text or an idea or story to convey its message. So, it seems to be very much the same as an illustration. There appears to be a very fine line between a work of art and an illustration, and as different types of illustrations communicate strong emotional messages through vector graphics or oil paintings, the two are virtually interchangeable.

However, art is creating an expression of the artist’s inner world, whereas illustration is rather creating an explanation of an idea. The main objective in an artwork is aesthetics, while the main objective in an illustration is an explanation. The illustration combines the customer’s specific goals and needs, while artwork can be accomplished without any of those.

Graphic Design

Graphic design is understood to be the message and the medium, rather than merely conveying a message. This means that graphic design can be an ordinary events poster that conveys vital information about dates, venues, and so on, whereby creative visual elements are also used in the text. The core task for the designer is creating a successful product that will, on all points, meet the requirements of the customer and also meet the needs of the audience they are targeting.

However, the aim is not to focus entirely on the image itself but also to have the marketing goals in mind.

Main Types of Illustrations

Illustration has been practiced for centuries, or millennia, in the form of cave paintings as well as ancient hieroglyphics. Etchings have been found dating back to the 10th century and even before. Illustrations have been classified into two main groups, traditional illustrations, and modern illustrations.

Traditional Illustrations

Traditional illustrations are defined as work that has been performed by hand where artists make use of mediums like pencils, charcoal, and paint, and use different surfaces to portray their work such as paper and wood.

Woodcut Illustrations

This technique of creating an illustration that could be replicated dates back to the Chinese Tang dynasty, where instead of drawing on a piece of paper, they would carve the illustration into a flat piece of wood which gave you a three-dimensional effect. They would then use a roller dipped in some ink to cover the top part of the wood, leaving the carved indentations ink-free.

Sheets of paper were then used and pressed against the wood, which would absorb the ink, making the indentations clear. Today, this same technique is used to make stamps, where the illustrations or designs are carved into rubber, which can then be replicated on paper. The woodcut illustrations left you with jagged and rough edges, which were effective in producing the shading effect. This form of etching style became very popular in the seventeen and 1800s, where the earliest example is the “Diamond Sutra” from the ninth century, and “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa” by Hokusai in 1830.

Pencil Illustrations

This form of illustration is very popular because it is so easy and simple to create an illustration using a pencil. Pencils are available in various values, hues, and weights, for example, you have the graphite pencil, and mechanical pencil, and do not forget the colored pencil. With different pressures applied to the pencil, you can create broad shading or fine lines, and it is easy to do, even your kids can express their ideas with a pencil. This is why it is a preferred option by many artists, and many carry their sketchbooks around with them to capture anything that appeals to them. However, the pencil has its limits, as you are not able to combine two colored pencils to produce a secondary color like you can with paints. You will also require a special type of tool like a kneaded eraser to smooth any rough textures formed by the graphite on your paper.

Charcoal Illustrations

Charcoal gives the illustrator a lot more blending capability than a pencil can but does not have the same precision as a pencil. Charcoal is available in stick or pencil form and is a much darker black than a pencil. You can also use your fingertips to smudge it, creating a smoother shading effect.

Charcoal is used mainly for quick sketches and cannot easily be erased, so illustrators are encouraged to make decisive strokes, and try to ignore small mistakes.

Charcoal makes thicker, darker, and softer lines than a pencil does. Artists use charcoal to create contrasts with textures and shadows, while designers use charcoal to add tones to their work that are rich black shadows.

Watercolor Illustrations

Watercolor illustrations are done by simply mixing some pigment with water, making it better and easier to handle than oil or acrylic paints. This makes it more transparent, allowing the light to permeate through the watercolor illustrations. This form of illustration is ideal for illustrating scenes that do not need precise or bold work, as the watercolors tend to blend and bleed on the paper with a lot less control than in other mediums.

Watercolor illustrations are used by illustrators for illustrating things like cookbooks, fashion magazines, and children’s books, and it is very easy to merge the colors into one another.

Pen and Ink Illustrations

Pen and ink illustrations are also very popular with illustrators, as it gives you a lot more precision with a sharper contrast than colored pencils. However, you will have to use a series of fine lines to do the shading.

Ink is affordable and easily available, and the pens usually come with various size tips, allowing you to create finer lines.

Calligraphers and illustrators often go for the old-fashioned fountain pens, as you can vary the thickness of the lines by altering the pressure on the pen, as well as creating different gradients when forming the words or letters.

Acrylic Illustrations

Acrylic paint illustration is most suited for the beginner, as the thickness and texture of the paint allow you to blend and apply it easily without bleeding through as watercolor paints can. This type of illustration medium is very versatile, as it allows you to blend the colors in an almost endless spectrum. As acrylic paint is very fast-drying, as well as water-resistant, it will leave you with a lot less room for errors.

RADA PLOTS

M-ART REPUBLIK: THE MATWANA MATATU CULTURE

Long live the matatu culture

These privately owned minibuses are commonly referred to as ‘art on the move’

• The matatu culture gives a sense of belonging that brings a very unique sense of style to our transport sector.

• We should start looking at these vehicles as not only means of commuting but also as works of art that need to be appreciated.

If you frequently use public transport then you are most definitely familiar with words like kamagera, donda and makanga, which refer to a matatu conductor, and dere or pilot, referring to the driver. You might also be familiar with words such as debe to mean a sound system and mapararira to mean car horns. Matatus, also known as mathree or nganya in the sheng language, are privately owned vehicles. They usually vary from 14- to 33-seater vehicles. Matatus initially dominated our public transport system in Nairobi and eventually spread all over the country. Youth today refer to these means of transport as clubs on wheels, while others, museums on wheels. They fill up streets, especially in Nairobi, while blaring music as they bounce and weave through traffic. If you frequent the CBD, you will notice that each matatu is always louder than the next one.

Due to set regulations, you will rarely witness this during the day, but if you manoeuvre the streets at night, rest assured that you will meet matatus covered with disco lights that make them stand out and brighten up their look.

Each matatu is normally complete with graffiti artwork, custom-designed interiors and exteriors, flashy lights and on-board entertainment to attract the attention of youthful passengers. Matatus are affordable, convenient and sometimes a little chaotic, but they are the choice mode of transport for most Kenyans.

Matatus have for a long time been associated with criminality and reckless driving. Some even view matatu operators as thugs who exploit and mistreat passengers and who participate in gangs or acts of violence. There have been reported cases of mistreatment of passengers by these same operators. Some of these cases include verbal and physical abuse, theft, hijacking, sexual harassment, beatings and even rape. Nowadays, such cases have become fewer.

Apart from the ear-deafening music and the frequent swerves on the roads, nganyas are unique pieces of art.

Matatus exhibit diverse designs that feature different graffiti artwork of hip hop artistes, international pop stars, athletes, football clubs, political icons and even religion. Some also feature unique slogans and sayings.

Every time I go to the CBD, I am often fascinated by these different works of art. It is like every day, there is a new nganya I don’t know about. A lot of time and money is invested to bring them to life, and some matatu owners see it as a great investment. Hurts the pocket but it is worthwhile. Just like any other business, the matatu business requires the discipline of money so that one can confidently say that they are earning good money.

Nganyas normally ply different set routes and are used for inter- and intra-city travel. Only recently did I witness several 14-seater matatus with full body art makeovers taking passengers upcountry. I am among the many who wait on these sleek matatus so that we can move from one point to another. I often relate these matatu experiences with arriving on time, getting entertained and being comfortable to and from my destination.

The different artworks on matatus are often very expressive, and almost every artiste’s work is unique. The matatu culture gives a sense of belonging that brings a very unique sense of style to our transport sector. We should start looking at these vehicles as not only means of commuting but also as works of art that need to be appreciated.

We go to art museums and art galleries to attend shows where we sip on glasses of wine, drink cocktails and sometimes munch on hors d’oeuvres just to appreciate million-dollar artworks, and some people end up buying them.

The matatu culture, on a daily basis, gives us a free show of graffiti artwork! All this in a bid to woo passengers to board that matatu because it is in business.

It is business but it is very unique; no other country has adopted displaying art on their daily means of transport.

This culture is still under-appreciated even though it serves as a form of identity in our society today.

THE KNOWN UNIVERSE

CELESTIAL COLOURS

VENUS

THE MOON

MARS

JUPITER

SATURN

NEPTUNE

UNIVERSAL PATTERNS THE SPAN OF POSSIBILITIES

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