Africa-Press – Namibia. WITH five solo exhibitions and many group exhibitions to his name, visual artist, designer and art teacher Frans Uunona continues to make his mark. The 31-year-old, who hails from the northern part of the country, reached another milestone when he was chosen as one of the artists to help develop the town of Oranjemund. His mural, titled ‘Safety First’, received much appreciation and love from the community.
According to Uunona, the project was led by OMDis Town Transform Agency, a company tasked with proactively accelerating and developing transformation at town, as well as economic diversification to ensure the town’s sustainability by 2030 and beyond.
At the end of last year, Uunona and some of his colleagues were able to secure a studio in Klein Windhoek, Omundu Art Studio, which their clients can visit to view all their artworks in one place. This year, the artist says he is working on his sixth solo exhibition, to be titled ‘Collective Thoughts’.
One of the artworks which will form part of the upcoming exhibition is titled ‘Out of Darkness’. The acrylic paint on canvas artwork draws from the feelings and emotions one experiences when in a dark place, and needing to hold on to every little bit of light to pull themselves out.
Another artwork, titled ‘The Last Super’, is inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s world-famous ‘The Last Supper’, which is housed in the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy.
“The mural is one of the Western world’s most recognisable paintings. In my version, I replace the humans with lamps, knowing that in the Bible they are considered as holy, and due to not knowing the faces of the real subjects from the Bible.”
Another artwork to watch out for is ‘Gate Into The Universe’, a fine line pen drawing inspired by mother nature, which recognises the existence of mankind which is fast losing the value of life by being insensitive to nature.
“You look at what is happening in the world and realise that humankind is losing what it means to have a heart because the things happening worldwide today are inhuman, and most of us are turning a blind eye to it,” says Uunona.
He says as an artist he observes and feeds on everything that is happening worldwide, and taps into his feelings and emotions as a source of creativity.
He began his career in the arts after graduating with a diploma in fine art from the College of the Arts in 2013. This year, he plans on producing more artworks, hosting art workshops and offering art lessons in his free time.
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