Interview with:William Ndegwa Wambugu [taurus]
ART
 | What do you do? How do you define yourself as an artist? Am a freelance artist who originally started off in the garage.I also define myself as a peoples' artist since I use my creativity and ideas to tell people what's happening and what I feel. |
| What is your message? My message is that artists particularly African artists should learn to utilize to the maximum what they have.It doesn't matter whether one is highly educated or not.
They should also appreciate technology and its benefits.In my work,I try to explore and find new things concerning my surroundings.It's like discovering myself and trying to find out where am headed. |
| Your biography in four lines. I was born and raised in Nairobi,Kenya.Worked for a while as a matatu designer then switched to canvas painting.In between I studied and graduated in Telecommunications.I also do a bit of farming in my free time. |
| Do you upload your work to the web? If so, where could we see it? |
| How is an idea born? For you, what is inspiration? I believe an idea is born out of instinct and sharp senses not higher education.Inspiration to me is what we see around us,what we read daily,what we hear and what we talk.
It's like we have these jewelery around us yet we fail to see what is before our eyes. |
| What role does technology play in your creative process? When it comes to technology and art,I can say its like the missing rib which the creative mind has always been searching for.Personally, I have experienced it and the feeling is kind motivating.
Being able to post your stuff on the net and other people viewing and getting inspired by your work which initially you didn't think couldn't get that far is very uplifting.
Then there is the issue of widening your view and perception,in terms of knowing what other artists in other regions are doing and getting informed.
It also makes work a lot easier regarding communication. |
| What is art? Art to me is something that makes people react.Anything that forces or pulls people into action.
It can be both positive and negative.Art is also about freedom of expression and self discovery. |
| When do you get your best ideas? I get my best ideas anywhere and at any time.I could be doing my household chores and something pops.I could be sleeping then in the middle while turning something clicks.I could be taking a walk and something catches my mind.I could be reading then something interesting catches my eyes. |
| How do you evaluate whether an idea is good or not? I evaluate an idea by instinct.If the idea pleases me and feel that it could inspire somebody somewhere, I go for it.I believe there is no such thing as good or bad it depends with the person who sees or listens.
Take the case of Einstein.His intentions were not to make a Nuclear bomb or cause harm.His ideas and inventions were misinterpreted and abused by people who failed to understand. |
| Three creative ideas that you would have liked to have created? I wish I had designed many vehicles so that I could impress people with my big portfolio.
I would have liked to design and customize my own car and eventually show it off at the Motor Show,it would have been totally unique from the rest.
Back in the days at the garages,my biggest dream was to one day own a customized vehicles dealership.Where I would import cheap second-hand Japanese vehicles,customize them and then re-sell them at a profit. |
| When and how did you begin to see yourself as an artist? I began exhibiting my creative abilities at an early age.I remember as a kid copying comics and cartoons and taking them to my Mum for "judging".She would always encourage me.
In Primary and Secondary school however,is where the "unveiling" occurred.My primary and late Secondary school days were the worst and most difficult.
I couldn't get along well with teachers.It's like I was in my own world,I couldn't seem to fit anywhere.
Regardless of this tough moments, I managed to emerge the best in the Art and Design class.Early in Primary,the matatu craze had already got into me and I was sketching often in class.Whether on desks,at the cover of exercise books and walls.Sometimes I would draw cartoons on the blackboard and entertain classmates when the teachers were absent. |
| Why do so many artists and creators have such volatile personalities? I think it depends with where one is coming from and how he/she is like.I know guys who are highly creative and are not wild or volatile.
For me, the "easily flammable" feeling comes when I want to say something and the listener doesn't understand.Or when am trying to explain something and the words don't come out right.
The feeling also comes when am working on something and it fails to come out the way I had anticipated.It's even more stressing when told to explain work which to me doesn't need explaining or when someone is sizing you up.
It's like a pressure cooker. |
| Do you consider yourself postmodern? Yes.In the sense that few people understand your speech or your work.Sometimes I kind of "relate" with "aliens".They come from a different place and express themselves differently.It's not my wish that am different.It just happened and I don't know why.
Maybe in the near future people will appreciate and understand my work better. |
| How should a work of art be evaluated? I think the evaluation process should start with the creator(artist).He/She should know how to judge the work and comment on it.Then issues of technique.An artwork shouldn't be rejected on the basis of "unfamiliar" style.The structure and support of the work is also important,in the sense that how will the art lover hang or view it in the house or office with regard to durability and permanence.
But all these aspects point to and depend with the art lover and how much he/she likes the piece.
You can't force someone to like something creative and you can't force someone to create what he doesn't like.
As for the pricing,it depends with the artist.Since he/she is the real owner of the work.It pains me when dealers sort of "hijack" your work. |
| Must an artist reinvent him/herself everyday? NO.Experimenting,growth and reinvention are three different things.
An artist can acquire inspiration and ideas on a daily basis but changing styles on a daily basis is not growth. |
| Which artists do you admire and how do they influence your work? I admire many people,artists and non-artists,both locally and abroad.
Concerning my work,I can say poets like Aime Cesaire,the Irascibles,Paul Gauguin,Van Gogh,Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
The influence I get from them regarding my work is of "relativity".I relate with them on a biographical basis.I relate with Aime on the basis of the struggle of civil rights,humble background,independence,African values and culture;With the Irascibles in terms of overcoming the barriers of conventional painting,rebellion and their street mentality.
With Gauguin and Van Gogh, its their struggle,passion and perseverance and what they believed in that impresses me;with Andy and Basquiat,its the Pop and street hype I felt in matatus and everyday I walk in the streets. |
| What do you think about public funding for the arts? I think it's noble and should be encouraged.The arts help people to understand themselves and the society in which they live in.They also put life in peoples' lives.
The big problem arises when these noble acts or programmes get "infected" by unscrupulous individuals who convert them into personal property.
The NGOs on the other hand need to keep in touch with the facts and reality on the ground.
Some are so aloof with the goings on around them and tend to favour some of the beneficiaries of the programmes.
Public funding is not bad it just requires a bit of monitoring,good management and rapport between the giver and the receiver. |
| Is art necessary? Yes of course!
If it wasn't for art we won't be here.Whoever created us and the Universe was a Grand Super Master who realized that without creating something out of nothing, it's total darkness and emptiness.In the previous question,I had mentioned how boring,still and "dead" life would have become or would be if it wasn't for art and artists. |
| Does it pain you to let go of a piece you have sold? It depends with the affection I had on a piece.Some of the art works can come out nicely the way one had planned,while others don't.
Anyway,I don't feel anything if I sold a piece at the price I wanted. |
| Is a work of art purchased, or is it better said, that it is the artist who is bought? I think it's the artist who is bought since he/she is the one who spent time,energy and ideas on the art.The art also reflects the personality and feelings of the artist apart from the signature. |
| In art, there is no guide. How do you know what the next step is? Nobody knows who is or what the next step is.But individual and eccentric artists can offer some clues and ideas about what's about to take off.A single,passionate and highly eccentric person can revolutionize a trend and change the perception of many people.
Blogs can be such avenues where someone or something can be spotted that can offer the next step. |
| How do you feel about the fact that the pieces exhibited in contemporary art museums are often of artists already deceased? I don't feel anything bad with that.In fact I can encourage more of that since it immortalizes a great artist and offers understanding to the following generations,which consists of art students,enthusiasts and people who want to know more about art.
The real threat will be the over-emphasis and the tendency to block out good,existing artists who can inspire guys in college.They can help boost the morale of the young ones and offer encouragement. |
| What types of jobs do you usually do? I usually do manual jobs.I can wash a car,clean the house,farm,write signboards,draw cartoons,make stickers,paint old walls using cans etc.Sometimes I can volunteer on a project,write poems...... |
| Which of your jobs or tasks do you most enjoy? I enjoy drawing,making sketches and writing. |
| Do you personally collect any items? Yes.I have some work which I can't show anyone.Some of them are very intimate and deep and should be better off left concealed. |
| Which websites do you frequently visit? I visit major Newspaper sites and popular blogs to check out what's going on in the world.
These are:
The New York Times
Time Magazine
The Diplomat
topsite blogs
Wordpress blogs |
| What advice would you give to those just beginning? I would advice them to focus on their goals and always keep researching for new ideas.They should also open up to criticism and learn to ask questions where they can't understand. |
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418 visits Whohub
William Ndegwa Wambugu
Nairobi, Kenya
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95745 interviews created
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