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Sanaa Gateja
'Back Into the Future' original painting on barkcloth by Sanaa Gateja

ca. 2000-2003

About the Item

"Back Into the Future" is a fine example of the mid-career work of Ugandan artist Sanaa Gateja. It comes from a period in his work in the early 2000s where he was working primarily in geometric forms on a barkcloth support. The artist employs acrylic paint, raffia, and beads hand-made of magazine paper on cloth made from the inner bark of the Mutaba tree. Bark cloth was one of the first fabrics to be made in tropical Africa and it sill has ritual importance among many people in Uganda. Gateja's use of bark stems from his interest in preserving and celebrating the textile traditions of Uganda. The artist's hand-rolled beads, constructed of recycled magazine paper, reference his fascination as a child with beads worn by Ugandans. They also demonstrate his commitment to sustainability and tradition. Gateja's work is environmentally and socially conscious. The painting has a border of beads that are common to Gateja's work and that also mark his contributions to the artistic communities of Uganda: As the founder of the Kwetu Africa Art and Development Centre in Lubowa, Kampala, Uganda, he worked to push people out of poverty by training artists to use readily available materials. From this, he is credited with the development of beads made from recycled magazine paper. Since 1990, these beads have spread in use across East Africa and help provide livelihoods to as many as 50,000 people, especially women and youth. In his work these beads often dominate the composition, calling to the materials of contemporary life while also hearkening to the traditional decorative forms of African artwork. Gateja describes how geometric forms are significant to his work, especially in presenting the triangle as the human figure. For him, this simple form embodies youth – it projects into the future with passion and in adornment and movement. Even more, he ties the triangle, rectangle and circle to the history of African art and architecture, citing them as the visual language of expression that ties the past to the present. Acrylic paint, raffia, and recycled magazine beads on ficus tree bark cloth 55.75 x 40.75 inches, artwork 66.75 x 52.25 inches, frame Framed to conservation standards using archival materials; float mounted on 100 percent rag matting wrapped in black linen; glazed with UV5 Plexiglas to inhibit fading; housed in a distressed reverse ogee moulding. Overall good condition; some inherent wrinkles and folds in materials; housed in a new custom frame.
  • Creator:
    Sanaa Gateja (1950)
  • Creation Year:
    ca. 2000-2003
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 66.75 in (169.55 cm)Width: 52.25 in (132.72 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Overall good condition; some inherent wrinkles and folds in materials; housed in a new custom frame.
  • Gallery Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 14088g1stDibs: LU605312805902
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