|
Pink elephants and blonde bombshells >> Tingatinga features the new wave of Tanzanian painting
by KEITH MARCHAND
Titled "Don't Fool Friendship," this witty and slightly demented work by Tanzanian artist Mikidadi Bush demonstrates many of the charms of Tingatinga painting. Started in the 1960s by Edward Said Tingatinga, it borrows heavily from traditional, indigenous mural painting. Known for its use of hypnotic patterns, simplified human and animal forms and scenes from day-to-day life in modern Tanzania, Tingatinga has begun to make a name for itself worldwide. The North American premiere of Tingatinga painting is hosted by the Galerie d'art d'Outremont, in conjunction with the Vues d'Afrique festival. Featuring 22 works by over a dozen artists, the show features three basic subjects: whimsical representations of native animals, slices of life from Tanzanian society and traditions of magic and sorcery. "The Kariakoo Market," by Sefu Ibrahimu Ngamba, captures the near-anarchic bustle that characterizes the African marketplace. In the distinctive cartoonish style that Tingatinga painters use to chronicle their communities, Ngamba shows us a place where retailing is varied, colourful and chaotic. A bicycle repair stall shoulders up against a haberdashery; stalls selling produce compete for business as a newspaper vendor hustles his wares. Amid the crush of people, a woman teeters through the crowd supporting a box of Salama condoms on her head. Because of the incredible amount of information contained in each painting, absorbing all the details can be challenging. Take Rashidi Hussein's "Fish Market" for example: what, at first glance, looks like a regular market scene is a bit stranger upon closer inspection. Keep an eye out for the naughty couple who are skinny-dipping in the river. Also look out for the little boy with the leg-cast and the fellow getting pounded to mush by two assailants who are both laying-in the boots and using stones as bludgeons. Witness, in "Muhimbili Hospital," the grimacing patient in a white gown getting an inoculation in the rear-end, while immediately next to him a woman gives birth. Meanwhile, at the Emergency entrance all is well and the people are smiling happy smiles. Miraji Juma's "The Dance of the Animals" depicts native animals in a fantastical and symbolic way that would leave Hieronymus Bosch gritting his Flemish teeth in envy. Pink elephants lurch around a conga-line featuring a rhino, a hippo and a giraffe. Birds croon into microphones while rabbits play the drums. Check out the sunburn-pink monkey creature in the top corner. What began just over 30 years ago with one man applying industrial enamel to plywood has turned into an internationally recognized school of art. The Tingatinga School of Tanzania now proudly boasts over 50 members. And while every painting follows strict stylistic guidelines, individuals are beginning to reveal their own sensibilities and touch.
Tingatinga is on at the Galerie d'art d'Outremont until May 2. For more info: www.vuesdafrique.org
|
A water buffalo dances with a peroxide-blonde bombshell, serenaded by a band made up of baboons, wart hogs and an elephant playing a sousaphone. An antelope and a peacock compete furiously at foosball while a leopard and a frog hoist drinks together at an outdoor bar. All of the animals wear sneakers; the lone human wears pumps.