Samson ‘Xenson’ Ssenkaaba (Ugandan, born 1978)
Pro Afro Woman, 2017
Signed ‘Xenson 2017’ (upper left)
Acrylic on canvas
179 x 140.5 cm
Ksh 280,000-550,000
(US$ 2,500-5,000)
Sold Ksh 915,720
Provenance: direct from the artist
In Pro Afro Woman, Xenson uses floral motifs and pattern to create an aesthetic disguise which obscures the identity of his female figure and reflects on the human tendency to hide behind facades. Decoration is used to adapt form and flatten space, raising questions about artificiality and layers in relation to both identity and canvas.
Xenson’s practice, which spans painting, performance, fashion design, installation, video and photography, is influenced by elements of African cultures and dance, as well as Hip Hop.
Xenson graduated from Margaret Trowell School of Fine Art with a first-class honours degree. He has exhibited extensively and participated in numerous residencies and festivals worldwide, including Art Transposition, LKB/G Gallery, Hamburg, 2017; Kampala Contemporary, Circle Art Gallery, Nairobi, 2015; KLA Art 014, Kampala, 2014; The Lubare and the Boat, Deveron Arts, Scotland, 2014; Future of Africa Summit, Paris, 2014; and Africa Now: Fashioning Personhood, Minneapolis Institute of Art, USA, 2014.