| I am a painter for a giving, not for a living | Send to a friend |
| Saturday, 21 January 2012 20:40 |
 The painting of a community with a chain of churches, which are surrounded by many crime scenes, captivates me as I take a look at Boniface Mwiru’s artistic work. To an uninterested passer-by, it is one those paintings, but to this artist, it’s a piece of work loaded with serious messages about the community in which we live.That is who Boniface is – not your type of painter, who is in the profession simply for a living. He is a painter for a giving. Through his paintings Boniface tells stories about the world around him and beyond. “I expose things that are happening in our daily lives,” says the passionate painter in recent interview with Sound Living. His unique paintings have captivating colours on canvas material. “They also evoke feelings of mixed sentiments in the society - sorrow, anger and happiness because I draw them when in different moods,” he explains. Interestingly, in all of his painting you won’t miss a woman’s figure. “I value women,” he says, adding, “They play a big, yet often underrated role in our lives. That’s why they appear in all of my paintings.” Free training Boniface is the chairman and owner of 16 Sanaa Studio, an art group based in Dar es Salaam. He founded the group in 2010 to offer free training on skills for art. With its main target being young up and coming Tanzanians, the group also conducts exhibitions for debuting artists, who have no platform and opportunity to showcase their work. It boasts 12 full time artists, who volunteer in teaching art to the public. Currently, there are five Form Four leavers studying at the centre. “Our aim is to develop contemporary artists in Tanzania, who are interested in painting. In doing so, we are also promoting our culture,” says Boniface. 16 Sanaa Studio has become a platform for artists to mingle and learn from each other, the 36-year-old painter notes. Boniface is probably giving to the youth the opportunity that he missed during his formative years in the field. He discovered his talent at a tender age. However, he had noone but himself to teach him to be the painter that he is today. His first sketch was on cigarette packet. He was still in primary school back then. However, he never considered art to be a career until after he got a job at a tourist hotel in Zanzibar in 1999. At the hotel, many tourists who came were asking for Tanzanian paintwork. Boniface took the opportunity to do some paintings during his off-hours. He then sold them to hotel guests. His part time drawing business started to flourish in 2001. He quit his job and took art as a full-time career. Breaking through But the first years were tough. Breaking through was not as easy as he had imagined. “I had to put up a fight and finally hard work, perseverance and networking paid off,” he recalls. His turning point was in 2003, when he got the opportunity to showcase his artwork in Cape Town, South Africa. This was an international platform that exposed him to the world. It was also the beginning of many other art exhibitions in Cape Town. “When I came back to Tanzania, I had worked closely with other renowned paint artists. I came home to become an active participant in local art exhibitions,” he says. One of the things he feels passionate about is being able to assist young artists, who find it tough to break through. “I am happy that I have managed to play a central role in creating self employment and improving talents of artist. In this field, we grow together,” he says. His group artwork has also been displayed at various government events, such as the World Tourism Day celebrations, the Pedestrian Festival and during celebrations to mark 50 years of independence in Dar es Salaam. Nevertheless, Boniface decries the lack of a local market for paintings. Apparently, the majority of people interested in his work are foreigners, especially tourists from Europe and the West. “The art market in Tanzania is bad because many people in believe that it is Western,” he says, calling for stakeholders to educate people. “In many houses, you find that people prefer plastic artifacts to traditional paintings when decorating. What they do not realise is that traditional paintings are a way to preserve our culture.” Personally, he believes art is soothing to the soul: “Painting calms me down. When I am panicky or angry I get back to normal when I paint.” ENDS UTILITY What his work says about him Boniface Mwiru believes that he is in art to give to the community. The 36-year-old, who was born and raised in Lindi Region, feels it is his duty to play a role in society through art. That is why he is providing free training to young and up-and-coming artists through his 16 Sanaa Studio group. He believes in the beauty of art as a way of reflecting the world in which we live. And, “The value of art work increases as time goes on,” he says. Boniface describes his zeal for art as a spiritual call. He says: “I want to train more youths and to organise bigger exhibitions for emerging artists. I also want to have an art gallery, which will display many people’s work. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
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