"I try to approach the subjects from a point of empathy when they enter my consciousness as fleeting characters or as vacant blanks. I am interested in what happens when the subject is transformed into the content."
—Godwin Champs Namuyimba
![](https://phillips.vo.llnwd.net/v1/web_dev/lot-component/image_b3258934-1993-4556-a5dc-3158e53d2668.png)
Detail of the present work
In April 2019, Godwin Namuyimba was interviewed by Maria Vogel. Below is an extract from ‘Godwin Namuyimba Deconstructs the Elements of Identity’
Maria Vogel: Who are the figures in your paintings?
Godwin Namuyimba: The figures in my paintings are my Black friends and friends of friends.
MV: Your work seems to have an element of social commentary. What are some themes you are exploring?
GN: I use human form to explore the construction of identity in relation to race and individuality in a postcolonial African context. I also attempt to critique stereotypical depictions of Black people, while I explore the conflicts and tensions between the ideologies of Afrocentrism and Eurocentrism.
MV: As a Black contemporary visual artist, have you seen the art landscape change for artists of colour?
GN: It’s a process that has endured progress for a time but still a lot has to be done for the better of us and artists that are to come after us.
MV: What is your process like? How do you begin a painting?
GN: My paintings usually begin in the mind and they usually finish in the mind. The process on the canvas involves a lot of layering which makes my art work unique and attractive.
Read the full interview here.
As a young artist, Namuyimba’s work has been part of numerous public collections worldwide, including The W Art Foundation in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Qingdao; The Contemporary Art Museum of Luxembourg; Örebro City Library in Sweden; and The Bunker Art Space, Beth Rudin de Woody Collection in West Palm Beach, USA. Several of his solo exhibitions have been held including: ‘The Dreamer’, Galleri Steinsland & Berliner Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden (2019); 'Godwin Champs Namuyimba', Ars Belga, Brussels, Belgium (2021), and ‘Antechamer’, East-Projects, New York, USA (2021).