Qatar is a place that has been nourishing the talents of young artists and giving recognition to the established ones. Expatriate artists not only get time to create art but also opportunities to showcase their works to the diverse audience and art enthusiasts.
Jeff Mugagga Wamala is one such artist, who has started finding his feet here. He is a Ugandan artist, specialising in modern mosaic art. A member of MAPS International Qatar, a local based artists’ organisation, Jeff has already taken part in different group exhibitions winning praise for his unique canvas. Recently, the artist spoke with Community at length about his work and aspirations.
How and when did you develop interest in painting?
It was a long time ago. Growing up as a young boy, sketching images and objects came naturally and I was not that serious about being an artist at that time. I joined secondary school where Fine Arts was offered as a subject, optional though. As I was interested and loved drawing, I took the subject to study arts. I was a pretty good student and with the help of my elder brother, I slowly but surely improved as an artist. The help from my elder brother was really significant at that time. I continued to do art up to my advanced level. Unfortunately, I did not study fine arts while at university, where I diversified my studies and got a degree in human resource management.
What kind of work and mediums do you use for your creative pieces?
Being an African artist coming from Uganda, my raw materials have been dry banana fibre and traditional bark cloth that I use as my canvas. I am sure not too many even know what these materials are. Bark cloth is a subtle material from the bark of a fig tree and whereas the banana fibres are the dry leaves of a banana plant cut from its stem. Both of these materials are found in abundance in Uganda. They are of course, independently used for various other reasons but as an artist, I opted to use them as my raw materials to come up with whatever I feel like doing.
How do you describe the art of painting?
I think art, whatever type it is, is an expression of an artist’s inner feeling; particularly when it comes to imaginative composition. I strongly believe that art is a passion and that all artists are passionate about what they do. There are always some art pieces that actually stimulate passion among those who take time and observe the creative pieces.
How do you see the works of young artists? What piece of advice will you share with aspiring artists?
Being a young artist myself, I do not deem it fit to kind of advise others. Every day presents us with an opportunity to learn something new or add to what we already know. Young or old, learning never ends. Every young person tries and commits something wrong. However, I believe there is no mistake in art and like they say, ‘in art every mistake is a design.’ My piece of advice to the young artists is to be persistent and never give up. The journey to success is never a simple cup of tea. It is full with lots of challenges, difficulties, and negatives to mention but a few. The secret is to hang in there and follow your heart, do not listen to too many people.
What activities have you been doing in Qatar? How do you see the art scene in Qatar?
To start with, I thank God that I have a job in Qatar. I work as a front desk clerk at Katara Hospitality in Lusail city. It is during my free time that I get to do some art. If I am not doing art, I am moving around Doha on the beautiful metro, checking out galleries. I love the museums. I have visited different souqs here in Doha. I am quite an adventurous person who loves seeing and getting to know new things whenever I get a chance. It is in the blood, a family thing. From the experience of visiting manifold exhibitions, galleries and souqs, I can say the people of Qatar have an obsession for art and culture but in a positive way. They believe in what is theirs, they love art. I admire how the Qatari culture is very much preserved for the greater good taking into account what modernity has and continues to do to the world. No wonder I read it somewhere that the most expensive art piece was bought by a Qatari, a sign of how much art is appreciated here in Qatar.
How do you see life here in Qatar generally?
I have lived in Qatar for a little over 15 months now and I can say that living here is very cool. The people are very friendly, especially the locals that I have managed to interact with both at work and outside. My experience from working in the best hospitality company in the region speaks volumes in this regard.
Furthermore, the cost of living here is not that high, especially if you are lucky to have a good job. For instance, being expatriates, we also save money aiming at supporting our families back home which is a good thing. It would not be out of context to mention harsh summers here. It is however, a normal thing to have here in the Gulf but ceteris paribus (a Latin phrase to denote that “all other things being equal), I would happily live here.
What are your future plans regarding?
I want to look at art as a career and pursue it. Having specialised in mosaic art using banana fibre and traditional bark cloth, I have decided to always use these as my raw materials to create art pieces. The fact that I am living here in Doha, I want all my pieces to have an attachment to Qatari culture. I have done a few so far but want to do more. I want the uniqueness of my artwork to appeal to the Qatari people as it reflects their culture here.
Through reading, visiting museums and galleries, going places, I am getting to learn more about the culture slowly but surely and will be coming up with different pieces here and there. For starters, I have already made portraits of some of the prominent figureheads here that I was fortunate to exhibit last year in the second edition of Qatar International Art Festival at Katara Cultural Village which is a yearly exhibition organised by my parent artists’ organisation — MAPS International. My goal is to leave a lasting legacy by creating art pieces that will spread happiness to those who will get the chance to look at them.
I admire how the Qatari culture is very much preserved for the greater good taking into account what modernity has and continues to do to the world. No wonder I read it somewhere that the most expensive art piece was bought by a Qatari, a sign of how much art is appreciated here in Qatar u2014 Jeff Mugagga Wamala
