‘For
artists who stand out due to the artistic excellence of their work; their
experience in the industry and the impact this has had on their community and
the commerce of the creative industry as a whole.’ Thus reads a statement from
one of the recent awards to which Ugandan artist Benon Lutaaya emerged
winner.
Lutaaya
was declared winner of this year’s Arts and Culture Trust Awards under the
visual arts category.
With countless awards under his belt; the Face of African Youth Foundation 2015 from the ADLER
Entrepreneurship Awards in Frankfurt -Germany, 2016 recipient of the
European-based international artist residency award by the Southern African
Foundation for Contemporary Art, among others, Lutaaya is an artist on the
rise.
His
star seems to shine so bright not just for his own visibility but to illuminate
the community around him and has so far donated up to R400000 to charities and
other noble causes in South Africa for the last five years.
“Right
now I want to be known for the positive impact to human life. But whether I am
a good artist or not, time will tell when I consistently deliver on my
ambitions,” he says from his Johannesburg studios.
When
he arrived from Uganda in 2011 on an international artist residency award by
the Bag Factory Artists’ Studios in Johannesburg, he only had a dream.
The
future seemed so unclear and the industry had a clearly demarcated culture.
“South Africans buy South African, artists
must sign up with an established museum and critics determine who you are or
you will never survive in this industry”, was all he got from his peers in the
industry.
“It
was not going to be easy for me to break through this strong culture but I had to
find a way,” he remembers.
The
Kyambogo University graduate armed himself with a bachelor’s degree of fine
arts and had to put his mind to a thrifty creative drive, not only to face a future
so uncertain but to escape the thought of the so many artists in Uganda that
struggle to make ends meet.
“Being
penniless with a big name in the industry is not what I was striving for. My
work had to be socially impactful and yet personally satiating, financially and
psychologically.”
Mindful
of the exclusive nature of art, he knew that the only way for a possible breakthrough
in an already established South African art industry was to present something
unique. The potential clients had to find his work relatable.
“Art
is for a given class in society who have the money to spend. But these too can
live without it. Your work should be able to add a special sense of value to their
lives. So, I had to self-educate about the world around me,” he said.
Built
on social adversity, identity and other life notions, his work is an in-depth
tale of the life of an African child, which unlike popular perceptions, is
rather one of hope, courage and
bravery.
“My
hard experience growing up made me strong to face life in Johannesburg when I
didn’t have food to eat or a house to call my home and when I went out to pick
waste paper on the streets to use as collage, ” he says.
The
waste paper material that he uses as medium in his work is an illustration of
the vulnerability of human life.
“It’s
so amazing how life transitions in minutes or even seconds. This waste paper is
picked from trash but thinking about it , the art piece its used to create end up in
some beautiful home where its treasured and vice versa. That’s the wonder of
life,” he says.
But
life, just as the pieces of paper creatively patched together, is a collection
of different experiences that finally make us who we become. It is an approach into
his own personal experiences and identity in the world but also a reflection of
how the latter has been formed, shaped and manipulated but like the waste
paper, torn and shredded and later glued as part of the creative process.
Through
this technique, Lutaaya says he is able to share his views on the various
fundamental questions about the complexity of human conditions today such as
immigration, political instability and poverty.
Lutaaya’s
work is a combination of both abstract and realistic elements manipulating the
different media such as acrylics, collage or a fusion of both to allow for
infinite searching, reconfiguration, and rediscovery.
Building
a personal relationship with his clients has played a major role in catapulting
his brand price from just about R500 a piece back in 2012 to R25,000 onwards
per piece. His highest sold art work so far was worth R200,000.
“I
had to teach my self how to communicate and build lasting relationships with
people, a trait I previously lacked. This has become a core component in my
daily tasks”.
“I
know exactly where all the art pieces I have sold over the last five years are
because every now and then, I receive invitations from my clients who have since
become personal friends,” he adds.
Looking
back at the four-hour journey from Uganda to Johannesburg that instead took him
a week due to lack of money for an air ticket, Lutaaya has since been moulded
into one with resilience and only sees opportunities amid challenges.
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