Nabulime’s OLugambo [Gossip] Solo Show

Artist offers a social commentary on human behavourism in new body of work

ART | DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | The recent exhibition by Dr. Lilian Nabuliime showing at Xenson Art Space is about gossip. The subject of gossip or Olugambo in local dialect, is a regular activity of everyday life that does not exclude anyone regardless of age, gender and social status. In the news, gossip stories dominate the headlines to attract the attention of the audiences. Conversely, with a rapid breakthrough of the internet, a new breed of social media communicators popularly known as bloggers or VI-loggers has exploited the growing appetite of gossip in our communities and is selling the chit-chat stories online. This exhibition, therefore, responds to this growing trend of gossip dominating our social life. Even in such circumstance, there’s certainly the good and bad side to gossip, and as such, the artist navigates the high and low of this leisurely activity while at the same time, critiques it as a critical component of human behaviourism.

In a bid to offer deeper insights to the topic, the artist displays a series of figurines in both hardwood and burnt clay (Terracotta). The figurines suggest emotions or feelings of those who indulge or are recipients of this social act. The emotions range from happiness, bewilderment, excitement to confusion, sadness or anger as expressed on the expressive faces on of the sculptures. The artworks appropriately titled Fina, Never Argue with A Fool, Jjajja Ichuli, Emboozi Za Malwa stimulate the audience’s attention towards the underlying message in the respective figurines. The playful, cheeky and familial nature of the titles of the artworks on display perform the role of drawing the audience closer to the artworks. It is through this artistic ploy that conversations about the art are deepened and sustained.

In one artwork Emboozi za Malwa, the artist arranges miniature human figures with different facial expressions into a cluster to evoke what happens during the social drink up ceremony. Traditionally, Malwa also known as Ajon in local dialect is a popular local brew created out of dry millet and is enjoyed by male adults mainly from Northern Uganda. The staple brew is synonymous with large groups of people socializing as they drink from the same pot using straws. As they enjoy their beer, different conversations come up, usually involving gossip stories about their families, friends or concubines. The stories told here, may excite, confuse, surprise or anger the revelers. Nevertheless, the phrase Emboozi za Malwa has been coined in recent years to mean news or information that cannot be taken seriously. As such, when one is told information about themselves or their families/ friend, they may take offence and become angry or choose to simply ignore and laugh about it.

Within this context of diversity of emotions, Nabulime builds her sculptures from material that are both fragile and easily manipulated. The medium of burnt clay (Terracotta) is vulnerable to damage if dropped on hard surfaces. This fragility resonates with how people’s emotions are affected either positively or negatively by the gossip peddled against them. Equally, working with aluminum or copper plates in the artworks goes beyond providing aesthetic appeal for the sculptures. It is a metaphorical representation of how our emotions and feelings are susceptible to manipulation by what we hear or are told in the gossip stories. Nonetheless, one cannot alienate the artist’s personal experience with gossip in this interrogation. Nabulime’s loss of her husband to HIV/ AIDS and her struggle to fight through the trauma invited a lot of idle talk from some of her immediate family and friends. Though she was able to triumph over the situation, her fragility as a young woman and single mother was severely damaged. Drawing on such personal experience and that of those in her immediate surroundings, she successfully constructs an authentic narrative than strengthens her work beyond the regular amusement and excitement.

This recent body of work like the previous ones by the artist, offer social commentary on our everyday living. Human beings by nature love to talk about people in their immediate communities regardless of their social status, age, gender and skin colour. Ironically, it’s like the glue that keeps society together because albeit one’s level of education or social standing, they will enjoy a piece of gossip with someone from the lower ranks of society or vice- versa. Even for those who may be offended by the act, they will definitely find someone they will quietly share their disdain for such, which again is an expression of gossip itself. Therefore, gossip is something we all cannot live without or are immune to, but otherwise can react to it differently with different emotions and feelings like captured in the artworks of Dr. Lilian Nabulime on showcase.

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The exhibition is showing at Xenson Art Space located along Kennethdale Lane, Old Kira Road, Kamwokya.