Visions from West Africa: Urbanist Art Gallery hosts Sierra Leone art

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

Echoes of Sierra Leone, an exhibition being hosted by Urbanist Art Gallery, Dubai, in collaboration with the Office of the President of Sierra Leone, was inaugurated on May 23. To remain open till June 22, Echoes showcases the creations of five Sierra Leonean artists, whose work spans diverse mediums including painting, photography, collage and fabric art. The name “Sierra Leone” dates back to 1462, when Portuguese explorer Pedro da Cintra, sailing down the West African coast, saw tall mountains rising up on what is now Freetown Peninsula. He called them “Lion Mountains” or “Serra Lyoa”. English sailors and later British colonisation, modified the name to “Sierra Leone.”

Each artist featured in the Urbanist exhibition offers an individual perspective on Sierra Leonean life and culture. They capture the vibrancy, resilience – especially that of the women - and beauty of the nation, through their presentations. From captivating landscapes to intimate portraits, it is a visual journey that reflects the many aspects of life in Sierra Leone. The opening reception provided an opportunity for attendees to engage with some of the artists who were present, along with representatives from the Office of the President. It was a time to experience firsthand the rich tapestry of Sierra Leonean artistry.

Felix Rhodes speaks in forms of creativity including digital arts and graphic design, illustration, painting and sculpture. He is well known for his very colourful and vibrant abstract expressionist work. With a BFA in Arts, he depicts the everyday lives of people, animals, the environment, and social issues. Working with different mediums including oil and acrylic, charcoal, pastels, wire and found objects, he also paints murals. His ambition in combining different mediums is to create pieces that bring attention to the connectivity of nature and manmade objects, focusing on sustainability and environmental protection. He has an interest in design innovation and utilises his training and skills in craft and sculpture to design innovative solutions for various problems and needs of his society.

Hawa-Jane Bangura is a visual artist who lives and works in Freetown, Sierra Leone. (Freetown is the capital of Sierra Leone). A well-spoken individual, she was present on opening day.  She studied Art in the UK and the USA and in 2013, set up an art collective, The Barray, comprised of about 15 local artists, to whom she provided skills training. More recently, she has become part of the Non-Fungible Token (NFT) art scene where she is a member of the 1mA Collective and the Cyberbaat Collective. They are both African art initiatives active in the NFT space and international cyber exhibitions.

  Zahra Fakih’s work in mixed media on canvas.

Much of her work explores African history, culture and identity and the representation of African women in that context. Like many African women artists, she believes that they have to tell their stories themselves. “We have to create and preserve our own images and narratives,” she says. Having grown up with strong female role models and also being cognisant of the important role of African women in respect to the history of humanity, her work attempts to reflect this viewpoint. She sees art as an opportunity to start conversations with viewers, to transfer knowledge, raise consciousness, and create change.

Hickmatu Leigh is a talented public health professional and photographer, with a passion for telling stories about her surroundings. Her photographic lenses are an advocacy platform that works to reposition women and girls from the Global South away from the exotic Occidental gaze and towards the normative majority. Through visual storytelling, she challenges stereotypes and raises awareness of the challenges facing women and girls in the Global South. She has developed, produced and supervised photography projects at the World Health Organization (WHO), focusing on the sexual and reproductive health rights of women and girls across Sierra Leone. She has also been instrumental in integrating them into the competencies of the education sector in Sierra Leone.

Julius C. Parker, aka Choema, is a visual artist and art instructor. He produces oil and watercolour paintings, wood relief sculpture, book illustration, cartooning, signages, batik and lately, digital illustration. “My work represents a recording of time, the beauty, and the struggles of everyday life for the preservation of history, culture, and everyday activity through various forms of expression,” he says with a nod to the documentary nature of his work. “The cartoons reflect the country’s political, socio-economic, and religious issues.” Zahra Fakih (ZATO), a Sierra Leonese with a Lebanese background, is a visual artist: her mission is to change the world, and the way we perceive it, through her creations, one painting at a time. Fakih’s media of choice is acrylic markers on canvas; but she enjoys experimenting with multiple media and create projects to address several social issues such as women empowerment and the plastic pollution problem. She is also a writer, and is passionate about music and poetry. However, for the last four years, her main focus has been on creating colourful and vibrant art to portray the social issues she is passionate about. Three of her large scale works are on display at Urbanist spaces, she pointed out. “We are honoured to collaborate with the Office of the President of Sierra Leone for the exhibition,” said Amjad Malki, GM at Urbanist Art Gallery. “This partnership underscores our commitment to showcasing the immense talent and cultural heritage of Sierra Leonean artists, and we are excited to share their stories with a global audience.”