New Article about me

Scratching his way to the painting world
Publish Date: Dec 08, 2011

 

Tusiime at work

New Vision Article by Martin Kanyegirire

He scratches the surface of the canvas so intensely you would think he had a grudge against it. Maybe he did because Mathias Tusiime grimaces as he goes about his work.

Tusiime is a self-made artist, an ecologically conscious one at that. He uses hand-crafted paper made from recycled materials like paints, paper, sisal and sugarcane husks. 

Although financial difficulties deterred Tusiime from furthering his education, he has strived to attain success. 

In 1999 when he was employed as a cleaner at Makerere University’s Margaret Trowell School of Industrial and Fine Art, Tusiime interacted with recycled art materials and waste products, which he would later use for his artistry of painting. 

The invention Within a year of observing what the students at the school were doing, Tusiime became an art enthusiast. However, he had no knowledge in art and lacked money to buy his own art materials. They say necessity is the mother of inventions and that is what Tusiime did. He invented a way of reprocessing colours and making his own drawing paper using waste products he had been discarding like sugarcane husks, sisal and grass. 

“I knew this would be environmentally-friendly,” he recollects.

Today, Tusiime specialises in painting. 

He has participated in group and solo art exhibitions. While at a group art exhibition organised by Nommo Gallery in Kampala in 2006, Tusiime’s painting sold first. 

“It was bought by the cultural attaché of the Italian Embassy, Pietro Averono,” Tusiime recalls.

Foreign markets

Tusiime has sold most of his works in Denmark, Netherlands and the US. He expresses concern at the low level of appreciation of art among Africans. 

This phenomenal artist has not quit his job as a cleaner at the art school. 

“I knew it would help me supplement my earnings,” he says. 

Achievements

“I would not have built my three-bedroom house in Wamala, Nansana, or had my own means of transport, if it was not for the invention and painting,” says the father of five.

His work still beats the understanding of many trained artists and art collectors. As a result, some students at the school have contacted him for market research and consultation. 

Prof. Phillip Kwesiga, the head of communication, design and multimedia at the art school, says Tusiime’s ability to discover new things makes his art exciting. 

“All good art has a beginning and it is not static and so is Tusiime’s art,” he says.

Most of his works reflect big bright-eyed children. 

Dr. Rose Namubiru, a lecturer at the art school and Tusiime’s long-time mentor, says it is a reflection of his early years as a cheerful and curious individual. 

Right from his maiden works, the underlying factors on the successes of Tusiime were hardwork and enthusiasm. 

“Tusiime would always go to the studio after cleaning. One day I asked him to bring at least a painting for an exhibition and he brought me more than 10,” says Kwesiga. 

The credited artist has captured the attention of modern medicine practitioners through art therapy. He has worked as an art therapist for those living with HIV in Mulago. 

In May, he was invited to Rwanda by the University of Florida to participate in the East and Central Africa Art in Health conference. 

In March, he was invited to the US to deliver addresses on contemporary art at Maryland University and the University of Florida, but he failed to acquire a visa.

“I love to think of myself as an environmentalist because I am fascinated by clean places,” Tusiime says.

He seems to fit quite well in the African proverb ‘know a man by the work of his hands’. One of his works graces the cover of MinstreI Literary Magazine in the US. The artist makes about sh7m a year from his craft.

He has also got the heart for philanthropy. Through a partnership with KISA Foundation, 50% of the proceeds from some of his artwork goes to persons living with HIV in Mulago. 

He says his generosity stems from one client, Joyce Gottelieb, an American art enthusiast, who gives him free art materials. 

“If someone who has not known me before could help me, why shouldn’t I also support others?” Tusiime asks.

http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/314734-Scratching-his-way-to-the-painting-world.html

More Artworks

Some more artworks

Article about My exhibition at Alliance Francaise Kampala

This article appeared in the New Vision of  28th October 2011

My Exhibition Poster

Article About Me

Tuesday, 28 September 2010

When MUK’s cleaner turned artist
MARTIN KANYEGIRIRE
It is a lot more encouraging when you meet a cleaner turned to credible artist and has more credibility for his work in European countries than at home.

Mr Mathias Tusiime is a self taught artist who has created a niche for himself. He is the first artist at MUK to make art work from waste products; a unique style he invented.

Due to financial difficulties, Tusiime didn't make it to the university but learning remained one of his dreams. As a young man, he had hopes of having an office of his own, but all this remained unfulfilled. With the qualifications he had attained, his dream job was not coming.

As a growing young man he wanted to be independent and also relieve his mother of the financial difficulties. In 1999, he was employed as a grounds man at the university in the Margaret Trowell School Of industrial and Fine Arts (MTSIFA). This gave him an opportunity to interact with, most important of all, the art materials and waste products.

Tusiime had a limited education background in Art and lack of money to buy his own art materials. Out of curiosity, he crafted a way out to reduce the waste products he was cleaning and dumping. He invented a way of recycling colours and making his own paper using the already used and thrown away materials; sugar cane husks, sisal and grass. That's when the Makerere art school grounds man came into contact with his defined status; celebrity artist.

Tusiime specializes in painting and sculpture. He has got the opportunity to participate in group art exhibitions. In 2006, while at a group art exhibition organized by Nommo gallery in Kampala, Tusiime's work was "definitely inferior". To every ones surprise his piece of painting done on crafted paper and also used as his ground for painting was the first to be sold.

"My very first art piece was bought by a cultural attaché of the Italian Embassy, Mr. Pietro Averono" Tusiime boasts.

Tusiime has without educational training captured the attention of modern medicine practitioners through art therapy. He worked at Wipe the Tears Africa (WITA) as a lead artist for the children therapy sessions. The credibility of his work has proved Tusiime an international artist. He has sold most of his works in Denmark, Netherlands and U.S.A.

Asked why his work has more reverence overseas, he says, "I think my work is so special, that's why I have markets in foreign lands, but you should know that as Africans we do not usually appreciate art."

His rather novice art form still beats the understanding of many trained artists and foreign art collectors.In Feb. 2010, he was invited to Washington D.C to deliver a lecture on the contemporary Ugandan art at the Mbari institute and also at the University of the District of Columbia by Professor Daniel Venne. His luck ran out when he was denied a visa.

In May 2010, the Makerere University art gallery started a solo art exhibition whose basic aim was to showcase art work executed by Mathias Tusiime. Of interest, in the exhibition, Tusiime's art work demonstrated valued themes; environmental concerns and child labour. This was his second solo art exhibition.

Mathias Tusiime's work is worth valuing and has been used by students to do market research. Tusiime is an outsider artist who deserves an academic award.

mnk7@rocketmail.com

My New Works

Who is Tusiime Mathias?

WHO IS MATHIAS TUSIIME?

BACKGROUND.

Mathias Tusiime is a self - taught artist who paints with oil and acrylics on his own hand made paper, as well as on commercially produced paper and canvas. Born in 1975 Bushenyi district.

Tusiime’s day job is being a Grounds man at Makerere Art School in this creativity charged Environment. Tusiime’s keen and observant eye has earned him a place of respect in the art community and he has exhibited in Uganda, Kenya, Denmark and the USA. He converts waste that he cleans up like discarded paints, paper and sugar cane pulp into bright joyous artworks. His subjects are often children with large bright eyed stares.He can be compared to Jack Katarikawe a self taught Ugandan artist based in Nairobi, Kenya, whose artistic career started at the Makerere Art School when he too was not a student, but rather a driver.

Tusiime is a good example of careful time management, genuine environmental awareness and protection as well as careful of limited resources to make profound artistic statements.

Tusiime Mathias has always astonished viewers and art lovers alike and for the last two decades his art can be seen to echo what every Artists dreams of Tusiime’s art has been more like taming the dynamics of societies own narrative and practice but more specifically refining his childhood experiences. What else would you label some one who has seen and been viewed by tourists gazers, art fanatics, art buyers and the community’s expense of hungry art space visitors. In Tusiime’s community, the local name for talent is “Omwoga” a largely western Uganda word to refer to people with peculiar into what they express either artistically but more specifically craft persons.

Tusiime’s talent and involvement in art narrative can be traced back two decades ago in 1999.This is the time when ha came into contact with what one could call a sheer pleasure but also as a result of working or like some writers have put it, labouring at one of the oldest East African Schools – The Margaret Trowell School of Industrial and Fine Arts.

WHAT IS THE GREATEST STORY OF SUCCESS

• I am known beyond the Ugandan boarder. My work is appreciated by people of different classes and tastes.
• Being able to exhibit in prestigious places Makerere University Kampala Gallery, Denmark, Netherlands, USA etc
• Making my own hand made paper.  (canvas)
• I attended central Africa Art in Health forum organised University of Florida held in Kigali – Rwanda.

THE WORST MOMENT IN BEING AN ARTIST

When I lost two opportunities to travel to the USA for the purpose of exhibiting my work.

WOULD YOU SAY YOU HAVE ACHIEVED

Tusiime says he will definitely not say no because to him that will not be a genuine answer because at least he has partly received what he had dreamed of. This comes with some of the exhibition he has had, one of his Arts works graces the top cover of MinstreI literary magazine in the USA and he has also sold some of his pieces in the European and other Scandinavian countries and then back home. So partly he has achieved his dream but though his plans are bigger than that and he is not yet to his climax.

WHAT MAJOR CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED AND HOW HAVE YOU MANAGED TO HANDLE MOST OF THEM.

Tusiime says he has always had challenges through out his art life.

One of the challenges is getting the materials that he uses when doing his Art works.

He has also faced the challenges the marketing his Art works because he has no skills in marketing and always getting the market is a big problem because ha does not know which population he is supposed to target when producing his pieces of works.

Another challenge Tusiime faces in this industry of ART is that some clients take his Art works and when time comes to pay do not pay and that ends up frustrating him very much.

DO YOU THINK BEING AN ARTIST WAS YOUR CAREER

Possibly if you asked Tusiime he says it was not his career at the beginning but now that he got his opportunity of doing art he feels at the moment it is his calling and he says when it comes to Art now he feels passionately attached to this profession.

WHAT FUTURE PROSPECTS DO YOU HAVE IN MIND

Tusiime has bigger plans to expand and begin to produce his own material of painting and paper of art so that possibly he can sell some and earn some income that can develop his career and Art production.

He says he would like to learn how to make his own colours and come up with Artistic colours that will help him develop as great Art painter in the painting industry. So he prays so much that he is in position of coming up with that in future.

He also plans to do Art as a full  time job instead of doing the cleaning job  he has and doing art at night so he plans to continue with art full time day and night.

Tusiime also says he wants to set up his own studio where clients can find him. At the same time he plans to increase the number of exhibitions both abroad and back home.

WHAT TYPE OF ART DO YOU DO?

The type of Art Tusiime is practicing is that he is basically a painter and a print maker because that was what he in person was exposed to and it has put him in that position because it was easy for him to access at least some waste materials that he was in position to practice with and it was also easier for him to consult the masters in order to be what he is now.

SOME OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS

My work has been highly acknowledged both locally and internationally. E.g. I was invited to conduct a workshop about my work in the University of Columbia USA, Mbali institute and merry land University, Florida University, New Orleans University.

My work was selected to Design the minstrel Literacy magazine, etc I was selected to attend east central Africa Art in Health. This to me marks one of the greatest achievement inspite of the fact that I was not able to go.

By making experiments (research) on waste materials I managed to come out, with my own technique of turning waste materials into unique paper (canvas) for painting and print making.

A founding member of Uganda Art Consortium project of Kisa Foundation USA e.t.c

Qns.

Who have been your sponsors?

Kisa Foundation USA has played a big role in marketing my work in the USA through Mr. Tom Herriman the Executive Direcctor.

Then some of the people also helping me with the art material is Mrs. Joyce R Gotlies.

And others have always provided me with professional and moral support are professor Philip Kwesiga, Dr. Rose Namubiru Kirumira , Mr. Kanuge, Mrs. A lawua.