Amid all the intermixed traditions in contemporary Kenya, I managed to see a wonderful exhibit of contemporary art by Xavier Verhoest. It was themed on the situation in Gaza, the first show I’ve directly seen related to this ongoing horrible tragedy. Smartly, it wasn’t limited to the events of this year, but framed things in a broader chronological context. Two decades ago Xavier worked as a Coordinator for Doctor’s Without Borders in the West Bank and Gaza. His love of the land and people began then, and he’s maintained relationships with colleagues and Palestinians throughout the years.
I’ve always felt art is most successful when it is not too literal or confining in its messaging. Xavier began with training in the cinematic arts, but the pull to make art more directly engaged in social issues has had him working in several media for decades. The show involved a bit of sculpture, several contextual didactic paragraphs, poems by others, and many two dimensional mixed media works that revealed a skillful mastery of mixing media. I felt the whole exhibition had a powerful emotional impact.
His larger abstract pieces contrasted the sheer beauty of colors and delicate textures (mostly illusionistically suggested) within the contrasts of violence and peace. Many were photographs on banner vinyl to which he added colors and touches of drawing, they are seamlessly interwoven with a few evocative words hand-written on the surface, vaguely suggested imagery, and titles that led one to ponder without dictating conclusions.
It was an extra treat to view the show at One Off Contemporary Art Gallery in Nairobi, with a sensitive and bright young artist, Yusuf Mirumbe. By chance we chose to visit the always engaging gallery (run by Carol Lees) on a day when Xavier was there. He graciously engaged in an in-depth conversation with us about the circumstances in Gaza, individual works on view, and the nature of suffering, beauty and the human condition.
Xavier co-founded the Art2Be project, a group that merges artists trained in various art with “non-artists” in the community. For decades he’s explored the intersection of art and how different expressions can offer the general populace a chance to discover their voice, reveal personal issues, and at times directly addresses social issues for positive change. He reminded me of the artist Swoon, who I recently had the fortune to work with on a large exhibition in Roanoke, at the Taubman Museum of Art.
At various times in my past, I’ve been on the fringes of such considerations and occasionally participated in such projects. In more recent years, I’ve mostly focused on making paintings. Although at times these indirectly address social concerns, or may challenge traditional concepts of aesthetics, in the end my aim is still to reveal something beautiful. Life is growth and death feeds life; although in a given moment, when we cling to past or future this can be very hard to recognize, I try to know the whole process as beautiful.
By way of a very different path, Yusuf, who has already lived through so many challenges, has determined he just wants to paint beauty and what helps him “feel peace.” We spoke about how his close friend Haki, the artist I wrote of in another essay, sometimes takes a different approach — more directly tackling the roots of what troubles him through his paintings. I suggested this takes a certain type of courage, but also emphasized all paths we take with sincerity are valuable, the key being we should follow our heart’s lead.
I told Yusuf I’d made paintings about things that were troubling to me too, but that didn’t mean I was obliged to always share them with others. Sometimes it’s been good to do them to sort things out for myself, like one might write in a personal journal. He listened intently.
Perhaps because of the exhibition theme, or maybe the integrity and honesty of the artist, our discussion with Xavier dove into how art allows us to express deep human emotions. Xavier shared the personal background within a few of the evocative works. They were open to many Interpretations. It was great to hear the perceptive young Yusuf share his views on some of them.
I’ve always felt art is most successful when it is not too literal or confining in its messaging. Xavier began with training in the cinematic arts, but the pull to make art more directly engaged in social issues has had him working in several media for decades. The show involved a bit of sculpture, several contextual didactic paragraphs, poems by others, and many two dimensional mixed media works that revealed a skillful mastery of mixing media. I felt the whole exhibition had a powerful emotional impact.
His larger abstract pieces contrasted the sheer beauty of colors and delicate textures (mostly illusionistically suggested) within the contrasts of violence and peace. Many were photographs on banner vinyl to which he added colors and touches of drawing, they are seamlessly interwoven with a few evocative words hand-written on the surface, vaguely suggested imagery, and titles that led one to ponder without dictating conclusions.
It was an extra treat to view the show at One Off Contemporary Art Gallery in Nairobi, with a sensitive and bright young artist, Yusuf Mirumbe. By chance we chose to visit the always engaging gallery (run by Carol Lees) on a day when Xavier was there. He graciously engaged in an in-depth conversation with us about the circumstances in Gaza, individual works on view, and the nature of suffering, beauty and the human condition.
Xavier co-founded the Art2Be project, a group that merges artists trained in various art with “non-artists” in the community. For decades he’s explored the intersection of art and how different expressions can offer the general populace a chance to discover their voice, reveal personal issues, and at times directly addresses social issues for positive change. He reminded me of the artist Swoon, who I recently had the fortune to work with on a large exhibition in Roanoke, at the Taubman Museum of Art.
At various times in my past, I’ve been on the fringes of such considerations and occasionally participated in such projects. In more recent years, I’ve mostly focused on making paintings. Although at times these indirectly address social concerns, or may challenge traditional concepts of aesthetics, in the end my aim is still to reveal something beautiful. Life is growth and death feeds life; although in a given moment, when we cling to past or future this can be very hard to recognize, I try to know the whole process as beautiful.
By way of a very different path, Yusuf, who has already lived through so many challenges, has determined he just wants to paint beauty and what helps him “feel peace.” We spoke about how his close friend Haki, the artist I wrote of in another essay, sometimes takes a different approach — more directly tackling the roots of what troubles him through his paintings. I suggested this takes a certain type of courage, but also emphasized all paths we take with sincerity are valuable, the key being we should follow our heart’s lead.
I told Yusuf I’d made paintings about things that were troubling to me too, but that didn’t mean I was obliged to always share them with others. Sometimes it’s been good to do them to sort things out for myself, like one might write in a personal journal. He listened intently.
Perhaps because of the exhibition theme, or maybe the integrity and honesty of the artist, our discussion with Xavier dove into how art allows us to express deep human emotions. Xavier shared the personal background within a few of the evocative works. They were open to many Interpretations. It was great to hear the perceptive young Yusuf share his views on some of them.
Later privately, Yusuf told me without prompting that like Haki, he’d made a painting about a very difficult experience in his past. But after painting it he felt it was too searing, so he’d stopped doing such art. He then shared the full story behind it, which was so painful it brought my eyes to tears just listening. I instinctively gave him a hug, lest we both started sobbing in the gallery. He thanked me. I tried to reinforce how important it was that he had been there for his family in that terribly hard moment. Suddenly in this public space we were touching on a profound, life-changing personal experience.
I think despite all our changing and exciting technologies, there’s still something empowering about direct encounters with genuine, well-done art (whether objects, music, dance, written, or spoken words). It has a way of opening our hearts, and offers us the space to be vulnerable. It has the potential to help us heal, and fosters our shared humanity. In the best ways it can inspire us to be more connected and loving.
The exhibit was impactful but I can’t stop reflecting on what my young friend shared in confidence, not just his bravery in that experience, but more so his courageous determination to transform what would have scarred most of us with deep bitterness; incredibly he turned it into a personal desire to focus on creating beauty. The compassionate human spirit is indeed amazing to witness.
www.xavierverhoest.com
I think despite all our changing and exciting technologies, there’s still something empowering about direct encounters with genuine, well-done art (whether objects, music, dance, written, or spoken words). It has a way of opening our hearts, and offers us the space to be vulnerable. It has the potential to help us heal, and fosters our shared humanity. In the best ways it can inspire us to be more connected and loving.
The exhibit was impactful but I can’t stop reflecting on what my young friend shared in confidence, not just his bravery in that experience, but more so his courageous determination to transform what would have scarred most of us with deep bitterness; incredibly he turned it into a personal desire to focus on creating beauty. The compassionate human spirit is indeed amazing to witness.
www.xavierverhoest.com
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