Ugandan artist Isaac Okwir has over the years been invited by the Foundation to participate in several residencies hosted at the Rwenzori Founders workshops. Working directly in wax Isaac describes form, movement and volume in his sculptures of figures and animals by elegantly constructing them with thin sheets of wax. During these residencies he realised a number of large scale outdoor works for the sculpture park around the gallery. Among these outdoor sculptures cast in bronze is ‘The Arrival’, a complex composition of a flock of Guineafowl; eleven birds about to land in a graceful arabesque curve, each in its own characteristic alighting posture.
‘The Reaching Elephant’ is a poignant piece which depicts an elephant sited under an acacia tree stretching its trunk out towards the branches. It stands as an elegant reinterpretation of Okwir’s personal clan totem made in his unique method of overlapping cut wax sheets to form and create the stance and attitude of this most majestic animal. Fascinated by structure, Okwir has interpreted the skull of an elephant too, this time in an arresting bronze form. ‘Elephant Skull’ like most of his pieces speaks of the beauty and vulnerability of Uganda’s wildlife.
‘Lango Mama’ stands in bronze, a metre tall at eye level on a plinth and greets visitors at the entrance to the gallery. It is a touching rendition of motherhood in which Okwir depicts a woman of his own Langi ethnic group, checking on the infant strapped to her back under the protection of a half calabash for sunshade.
Currently, Okwir is working on his largest commission to date. ‘Fighting Fit’ is a life-size buffalo destined for the nearby Kyemihoko clinic where it will stand at the entrance as a symbol of robust health and bursting energy. In addition to residencies, to further his own art and expressive language, Okwir continues to take part in Foundation sponsored workshops that continue to expand his opportunities and explore his skills in portraiture, marble and gemstone carving among several other practices.
