 Dan
Sekanwagi is a Uganda American artist residing in Houston,
Texas. When he left his native country of Uganda, he brought
with him a rich culture and deep rooted heritage which is
manifest in his work in more ways than in just color
schemes. In Uganda, Sekanwagi worked as a structural
draftsman for an engineering corporation, an illustrator for
the leading publishing house and an illustrator of
educational television for Makerere University Center for
Continuing Education system. He became a full-time artist in
1976 prior to fleeing his country to neighboring Kenya as
Uganda's economic and cultural life collapsed under the
chaotic rule of a military dictator. In Nairobi (Kenya)
where he lived until 1983, Sekanwagi left an impression on
the art scene with his distinctive style of painting with
inks and dyes on canvas.
His sellout exhibitions at the
French Cultural Center (1980) and at Firmin Gallery (1981)
in Nairobi led to invitations to exhibit at Phoenix Gallery
(West Germany 1982), Commonwealth Institute London, (England
1983), Martin Luther King Memorial Library Gallery A-2
(Washington, DC 1983) and MSC Gallery at Texas A&M
University (1984). In 1990, he was invited by First City
Bank (Downtown Houston, Texas) to exhibit the entire month
of February to mark the Black Awareness Month. In 1994 ,
Sekanwagi was sponsored by Atlanta Committee of Olympic
Games (ACOG) to exhibit as a 'Cultural Olympiad'
representing East and Central Africa to promote the 1996
Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
Sekanwagi's art has been featured
in numerous newspapers and other publications world wide.
The artist has been featured on TV and Radio broadcasts
including the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC World
Service), Kenya Television and Voice of America (VOA). Among
the many beneficiaries of Sekanwagi's work of art is the
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) which published his
art for an international fund-raising greeting cards project
"For the well-being of the world's children" in
1987.
Sekanwagi, a self actualized and
disciplined expressionist enjoys his art and works with
multiple media. While the art form itself seems to emerge
from a world only known to the artist, the content and
subject matter of his work do relate to basic human
activities and experiences or occurrences. Sekanwagi's work
is truly as intriguing as it is dynamic.
He attributes the visual appeal of
his art to the free and adventurous approach he applies to
his entire creative process. His exhibitions in Africa,
Europe and North America have not only stimulated latent
talents in many artists but have also been an eye-opener for
many art lovers who were not aware of the direction in which
African Art has been evolving ever since "Mask
Art".
Sekanwagi works
out of his studio in Houston and
owns a private gallery that permanently features a
repertoire of his work. Call 281-565-5490 to schedule an
appointment.
|
