For Ronnie Ogwang, the journey in art follows a familiar narrative: he began painting when he was young and, decades later, is still devoted to his craft. The only difference is that his style has evolved over the years, shaped by the twists and turns of artistic exploration and growth.
Born and raised in Uganda, and with a studio in Kampala, he started his journey as a visual artist as soon as he graduated from Makerere university, where he was studying for a bachelor’s degree in industrial art and design in 2007.
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He is currently exhibiting at the Banana Hill Art Gallery in an exhibition dubbed Self Talk, his own attempt at self-inflection with a barrage of questions and sentiments on canvas. Self Talk is a showcase of his newest style, a blend of expressionism, abstract, text art and a truckload of caricatures in odd shapes and angles.
Dark colours take a centre stage on canvas and strong worded sentiments on religion, art, society and every kind of thought that pillage through Ronnie’s mind find themselves on display. Self Talk can only be misunderstood on the basis of bias, not presentation.
The series came about after Ronnie had a bout with himself with questions of his existence, culture and religion, politics of the world dancing in his mind.
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The result is abstract expressionism coming out in a series of works that remind one of Shamia Baraka, Mwas Githinji and the latest entrée into the world of art oddities Ngugi Njenga, whose muses drink from the dark side of human existence.“As human beings, we are always having mental conversations with ourselves, Self Talk is simply what I speak to myself relating on issues of the world.”In a sense, Self Talk, running up to August 31, is religious and political satire on canvas, it reflects society without sheltering under mundanity. Different concepts are at play in the cosmos of colour and text, which are dominant in this particular series. One almost feels like they are flipping through a version of Gaddo’s work, only that humour is stifled in this context.
Ronnie grew up under a mother who was a pastor and religion up to his adulthood, was a fundamental component of his life. Later on, he began to discover certain things about religion, which didn’t resonate with him. His doubts on religious dogma are on his paintings, a clash of his foundational past and his expressive present.
His art borrows from the antique hallmarks of the discipline. The old masters of the craft are some of his biggest teachers when it comes to defining his style. Picasso and cubism are an influence, as is Jean Michel Basquiat, whose style he heavily borrows from and Leonardo da Vinci.
Ronnie lives off art and describes the art scene in Uganda as slow, compared with Kenya’s.“The art scene in Uganda hasn’t been much appreciated by the local community. We have few expatriates here, only just a handful as compared to Kenya. We need to be more intentional in promoting art in the local scene over these sides, it isn’t as vibrant as compared to Nairobi,” he says.
His late mother was a key part of his art journey, as she supported him in a way she understood by taking him to school and teaching him the values that resonated with her.“My art was inspired by the female figure. I used to paint a lot of African Women, mainly in groups. If you were to look at my old style, it was very poetic, and was trying to capture the grace, the beauty of the African woman. I loved the way they did their things in groups. Being raised by an African mother was always a struggle — I struggled for financial assistance growing up and was raised by women self-help groups chaperoned by my mother and her friends,” he says.
Self Talk is a different trajectory in terms of style, which defines Ronnie. He considers it a project that is spiritual. In it, he uses what has come to be known as his signature “masking” technique, a tactile, layered textured method that uses acrylics to conceal and reveal at the same time, a technique made prominent by Jean Michel Basquiat.
His canvas surfaces speak of contradictions; beauty and pain, sanity and madness, chaos and calm, reverence and rebellion just to mention a few. The contrast is used to highlight his reflections on faith, the fragility of life and the social constructs that shape our understanding of life and belief.
His art is provocative because he considers the work of an artist as one of solving problems, educating and awakening up the masses.“I use lots of texts and graffiti on my murals. Every text has a meaning and a point being symbolised. Every imaging affects something,” he says.
When it comes to religion, the Catholic Church takes a large chunk of the sentiments expressed on religion, with the references being a matter of hot or cold opinions, nothing in the middle.“The Catholic Church has always had a big influence on the world at large. It is a very controversial faith; they have a lot of secrets which are up to us as artists to unravel. I am trying to wake people up to ask questions about things that religious institutions are hiding,” he says.
For Ronnie, he expects Self Talk to ignite something in all of us as people.“It should ignite something regarding your beliefs and the culture that you follow.” Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
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