Exhibiting ‘The Naked Truth’

Next month on Monday, 7 February, Namibian artist Ismael Tjijenda will open his new exhibition, ‘The Naked Truth’, at the gallery of the Franco- Namibian Cultural Centre (FNCC).

According to the organisers, Tjijenda is celebrating 10 years of artistic creativity with this exhibition. ‘The Naked Truth’ is an exhibition of oil paintings, pencil drawings, mixed media and prints, both abstract and surrealistic. Tjijenda’s works depict stories of life; of the experience of being human in a socially challenging environment and keeping the inner child alive when surrounded by hardship and suffering. “About this exhibition ‘The Naked Truth’, I cannot emphasise enough, the importance of keeping the inner child alive and still influence a documentation of a chapter in my life.

The year 2011 marks a decade of my career in this business as a professional artist, and that is the reason I am celebrating a part of my soul. Youth is such an important part of our lives, as it facilitates wonderful imaginations and a larger-than-life approach, and one must never lose the essence of the inner child,” Tjijenda says. Ismael Tjijenda is an artist who takes his social responsibility very seriously. For the past year, he has been busy with product design and development at the Karas Huisen Craft centre in Keetmanshoop, helping to provide an income for HIV-positive members of the community.

Working with the organisation ‘Positive Vibes’, he also counselled HIV-affected community members through art therapy. Now it is time for his own creativity again and he is back with his first solo exhibition in four years. The cycle of life, from birth to the death of man, from the explosion of the storm to total darkness, is the theme. After the storm, everyone is caught in the heart of a myth and reality struggles to keep afloat.

Everybody is in conflict with the story told and wants to hear the naked truth. “My world of arts and design is derived from elements that life can offer in its most explicit way. This you will be able to recognise in my work. I always consider my surroundings and the changes that continuously occur, evolving self-consciousness and social awareness. I use this inspiration to my advantage throughout my concepts, and I am persistent in my approach in creating current (contemporary) and relevant to top quality and still remain holistic in my approach,” said the artist.

Included in the exhibition, will be a video installations, prints, oil paintings, pencil drawings and mixed media.

For any queries, please contact the artist on:

0812966886 or 0812338556.