Artist with a conscience exhibition on at Omba Gallery
The first public exhibition “Under Threat” of self-taught Namibian artist Leonard Abrahams are currently on display at Omba Gallery until 23 March 2018.
The theme of the exhibition is a reflection of the artists’ concerns with international contemporary developments that affect various aspects of Namibian life, livelihoods and the environment.
Abrahams expresses his Namibian aesthetic, values through the visual presentation of images on canvas, most of them familiar to Namibia and that which he strongly feels deserves protection. His concerns for the environment, a light touch on politics, the well-being of people and their lifestyles are seen in his art. His works are literal representations with subtle messages, not abstract, nor ornamental and yet are technically, extremely well executed for a self-taught artist.
The word ‘threat’ is defined in English dictionaries as the identification or perception of someone or something likely to cause harm, damage or is dangerous and this is exactly how Abrahams views the objects in his paintings. Like a line and its cub, the Christus Kirche in Windhoek as a symbol of Christianity, cattle carrying the burden of human survival and civilization, a line San man, his feet disappeared into a cloud of dust, a woman carrying a load of wood in modern grab, our temporal existence, as well.
“Everything is under threat, so are we, even as we live,” he said with a smile.
