Students paint mural encouraging people to take care of themselves and others during the pandemic
Students from the visual arts department from the College of the Arts (COTA) have painted a mural on the National Art Gallery of Namibia (NAGN) exterior wall. The students contributed in their individual ways on how they have observed Namibians being affected by COVID-19.
NAGN confirmed that this design is what can now be seen on the exterior wall on Robert Mugabe avenue.
“This mural essentially serves as a reminder to take care of ourselves and those most dear to us, but it also highlights whom we need to appreciate, our essential services workers, taxi drivers, the elderly whom have found themselves most vulnerable,” they emphasised.
They stated that it is a pertinent practice of collaboration and cooperation to advance the arts industry in Namibia to collaborate with external businesses to advance the visual arts. “We encourage companies who have walls for public art that artist could utilize to tell different stories to engage our visual artists and opportunity to paint a mural addressing issue around, economic and socio-cultural aspects facing our society,” they added.
According to the NAGN the students are practician techniques and skills in painting and designing as the creative express and the subject matter in this case is the pandemic. “Therefore the mural serves as a visual documentation of the various cultural, academic, educational, economic and mostly health implications accentuating our essential services,” they informed.
This collaboration is between the NAGN, COTA and Neo Paints, which aims to consider the future and forge new relationships in the visual arts industry and creative economies.
