Lot 30 Lilian Nabulime
Lilian Mary Nabulime (Ugandan, born 1963)
OK, Sure, Oh, Wu, 2016
Signed ‘L. M Nabulime 2016’ (lower back on each)
Fired clay on wooden base
Ksh 85,000-130,000
(US$) 800-1,200
Sold Ksh 65,000 post-auction
Provenance: direct from the artist
OK
20 x 9 x 9 cm
Sure
17.5 x 9 x 9 cm
Oh
17 x 9 x 9 cm
Wu
15 x 9 x 9 cm
Lilian Mary Nabulime is a prominent Ugandan sculptor, and senior lecturer of Sculpture at the Margaret Trowell School of Fine Arts, Kampala. She uses a range of materials to create expressive works that embody social agendas and attempt to promote discussion as well as pushing the meaning of art beyond the visual.
These clay sculptures represent the facial expressions and conversational sounds that people make as they interact with one another – OK’s smile expresses amusement, Sure seems to be nodding in enraptured agreement, Oh is stunned and Wu is in deep contemplation. The characters are similar to those the artist has observed on the local Luganda television channel Bukkede, which focuses largely on tabloid news from the Buganda region. Bukkede is derived from the phrase ‘bukkede banyanike’ which means that the day has started and one may be a victim of gossip.
Nabulime holds a PhD in Fine Art from Newcastle University, UK. She has exhibited her work worldwide with multiple solo and group exhibitions in the USA, UK, Norway and Sweden. She has also been the recipient of many awards and fellowships, including the Commonwealth Fellowship Award, UK in 1997 and 2012.