Art tongue in cheek

Confronting the complex and delicate with sarcasm and self-portraiture

| DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | As a social-political commentator, Ugandan artist Paul Ndema exploits adversity to provoke intense dialogue and criticism of the socio-political injustices. In his latest series, he delves into the delicate and complex issues of religion, sexuality and cultural identity contextualised in a global setting.

Almost playfully, he appropriates Roman Catholic imagery like the emblem of the Pontifical Swiss Guard- the Pope’s official force- together with the armor into it.  These motifs are universally recognisable and attached to a specific religious group and Ndema uses them to deliberately draw his audience to his work. He mixes this with portraiture in compositions that focus on the relationship between the subject and subject- matter.

In this, the artist intends to demonstrate the type of relationship he has with the subject of religion; in this context, the Roman Catholic Church.  Ndema was born a Roman Catholic and grew up in a strict religious setting that included attending Catholic Schools.  In his work, he dwells on the negative publicity that has dogged many cathedrals across the globe recently.

The church has been in the spotlight for many controversies, specifically, sex abuses by the prelates. To reflect the controversy, Ndema creates obviously unorthodox images on canvas. The haughty self-portrait of the artist dressed in long dread-rocks, baggy jeans, trendy sun-glasses with a naughty smile lighting his face, may be judged as indecent and unwelcome by a section of believers, but ironically, strikes a chord of similarity to the church’s ongoing  moral decadence globally.

Despite controversial subject matter, Ndema’s art is palatable to diverse audiences and his message mostly causes no offence. It is highly intelligent work, striking the right balance between relevance and originality. This balance is critical for any successful artist.

Ndema has done it before, with the satirist series of paintings he did in 2013 of police officers enjoying cozy moments with the citizens. These images are still entrenched in many of his fans’ memories. The artist then intended to satirise the bad relationship between the law enforcers and the public. At the time, the police was castigated- and still are- for the human- rights abuses they meted on the citizens.

The tongue-in the cheek imagery in his paintings is a potent tool to the counter subjects of controversy.  In his `The Last Supper 2014’, the artist deployed humorous and sarcastic imagery of this iconic subject.  Ndema positioned controversial Nigerian musician, the late Fela-Kuti as Jesus Christ, at the centre of the table. On his head, under a halo, was a crown fit only for saints. Yet Fela had a slice of bread with a “joint” hidden behind it and sat between notable African leaders. It was an intriguing juxtaposition of the sacred and controversial. It adeptly inspired unsuspecting curiosity, questions and answers. It was a truly Pan African artwork. It’s exactly what Ndema wants.  He once said, “I want my audience to deal with the discomfort my art brings to them”. And he does it by constructing the most unexpected narratives.

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Ndema’s Solo show is due this November at Circle Art Gallery, Nairobi