Art has always been a vessel for history, but for Ugandan visual artist ‘The Goddess Lawino’, in there lies the formula for cultural reimagination.
The ‘House of Paintings’:
Currently, the artist is pouring her creative energy into ‘House of Paintings’, a perennial project that primarily experiments with brushwork and ink. Lawino’s initiative is a sweeping anthology of art pieces telling stories of African deities across prominent African societies. Each piece in the collection is worked on a customized 50×50 cm wooden canvas using wet-brush techniques and vanish finish. The results are immersive still-life drawings, highly detailed, and steeped in rich color.
On ‘Balance and Harmony’:
One of the standout pieces in the anthology employs cross-cultural commentary to explain equilibrium. Drawing inspiration from pop-culture mythology, Lawino uses the core cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender to illustrate balance. The background subtly splits between destructive fire on the left and consolidative, icy oceanic elements on the right. Zuko and Toph command the fiery, earthy left side, balanced by Katara and Sokka on the watery right. Aang takes his place in the center with his iconic blue arrow depicting authority. Strong dark outlines lend the characters a stylized comic-book and anime feel, while the high-contrast palette of warm oranges and yellows against cool blues enforces harmony in the foundation.
Away from visual story telling, Lawino is known for her conscious music, activism and an entrepreneurial spirit. She has a comic book called Malaika Macol.
For inquiries, bookings, or to commission a piece from the House of Paintings collection, reach out directly via Instagram: @the_goddess_lawino.
