For the exploration of imagination, feeling and mythology through colourful, vibrant and thought-provoking compositions, African artists are channelling spirituality as a theme in their work. African art has been defined by its themes of symbolism, functionalism, and utilitarianism. With the creation of rich and varied artistic imagery, spirituality is a necessary source of inspiration for African artists.
Image courtesy of Artsy
It has also been a seemingly, limitless source of inspiration for artists like Victor Ekpuk, who uses the spiritual and the ancient Nigerian script Nsibidi to draw new memories and explore the human condition through his work; and Peju Alatise’s way of reviving ancient storytelling traditions through the lens of spirituality and Yoruba cosmology.
Here are some of the artists channelling spirituality in their works:
Tendai Mupita
Tendai Mupita (b. 1990) is a Zimbabwean artist whose works explore meditative states. His practice combines drawing, painting and printing on paper. Mupita’s ideas stem from his thoughts on the traditional spiritual practices of African societies, with a focus on his native Shona culture. He questions the underlying basis of fractals, which are specific to African cultural practices like basket weaving to architecture. Mupita’s work, colourful and vibrant in nature, are inspired by Shona culture, and they exist on the border between abstract and figurative art. They portray hybrid beings through a unique combination of colour, light, line, and circular forms.
Image courtesy of Art Viewer
Represented by Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, you can follow Tendai Mupita and his works here.
Peterson Kamwathi
Kenyan artist Peterson Kamwathi (b. 1980) is known for his practice of creating visual archives that explore contemporary issues such as social, political, personal and institutional structures through the depiction of the human figure.
His current practice is centred on the structure and anatomy of prayer. The figures that make up the compositions are generic, anonymous, and collaged into skewered and organized shapes, to avoid literal connotations and mere illustration. Each figure is drawn and cut out individually, expressing the intimate, personal nature of prayer and exposing human vulnerability, while the assembling and overlapping of the collaged forms physically reflect the opposing power found in the collective act of organized prayer. Kamwathi is curious about the tension evident in the difference and similarities of the ritualistic positions transcending a difference of opinion, beliefs, colour, gender and ethnicity.
Image courtesy of Off Contemporary Art
You can follow Peterson Kamwathi and his works here.
Alioune Diouf
Alioune Diouf (b. 1964, Dakar) is a Dakar-based artist. Of Serer origins, he pursued a koranic education while his artistic education took place outside, through direct observations of the world and contact with a large community of artists.
As a painter and a sculptor, Alioune Diouf works with a variety of materials, including his own pigments made from clay, kola and coffee nuts and plants, and textile scraps and sewing. His sculptures are made of readily available natural materials, ranging from monumental sand pieces to carved wooden ones. Intertwined figures, animals, cosmic and floral motifs, as well as spiritual and sacred symbolism, characterize his pictorial realm.
Alioune Diouf’s work irreversibly propels us toward unity, although born from the most insignificant details, that encompass the diversity of the world.
Image courtesy of Artsy
Represented by Selebe Yoon, you can follow Alioune Diouf’s works here.
Omar Ba
Omar Ba (b. 1977) is a Senegalese contemporary artist known for his mixed media paintings that combine figurative and decorative motifs. According to the artist, his work is intended to tell stories that connect the histories of Europe and Africa through their meaning. This is evident in his representation of symbols and metaphors in his art: his great characters are related to heroes of tales where current events and disparate mythology mingle, stories nourished by African traditions and his own inventions.
Image courtesy of Artnet
You can follow Omar Ba and his works here.
Image courtesy of C&
