ATEKER, IJASIBIYAYI? GREETINGS FROM THE ROAD (A DEDICATION]

AKKA Project is extremely proud to share the news: Pamela Enyonu inaugurates her first solo show in her homeland, Kampala, Uganda, titled "Ateker, ijasi biyayi? - Greetings from the Road (A Dedication]". Drawing from her extensive archives, the exhibition features both older pieces and a new collection that delves into Ugandan history and self-identity through the artist's unique perspective, highlighting her dual heritage in a nation with borders defined by outsiders. Influenced by a range of literature, her art examines the fragments of the fractured mirror that represents home, touching on social interactions and foundational myths.

Similar to Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s novel "Kintu," Enyonu does not attempt to reconstruct these myths but instead brings them into the present to explore their disruptions and continuities. Observing her neighborhood on the outskirts of Kampala, Enyonu’s gaze travels across rooftops hidden behind high fences topped with barbed wire meant to provide security but also creating divisions among those who can afford it.

In expressing the concept of home in this fragmented reality, Enyonu does not seek to rationalize its chaos but instead embraces the fragmentation to create a poetic polyphony. In this disjointed symphony, creation is not a starting point; it is woven through time, found in acts of translation and deferral. It is discovered in the process of relearning one's mother tongue while thinking in other languages. As Enyonu puts it, “home is a work in progress.” Through a broad act of feminine writing, she weaves her narrative without a fixed direction, wary of forming definitive discourse, and speaks truths in many languages.

"Ateker, ijasi biyayi? - Greetings from the Road (A Dedication]" is the first chapter of a multi-part exhibition and research project that will continue to evolve. It begins with a dedication to Ugandans and their multifaceted, contradictory identity that requires no explanation.

Congratulations, Pamela!

© Copyright of the works Pamela Enyonu

© Photo credits Royal Kenogo

© Courtesy of Vodo Art Society & Lab, The Summit Residences and Afrodiarma Films