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Izincwadi Eziya Kuye, Imihlaba Ngathi: I-Obi Agwam's Animated Surrealism
Amagama ngu-Teneshia Carr
Ntambama siyakhuluma, U-Obi Agwam usanda kuphuma eTube wangena estudiyo sakhe saseLondon. Ashaywe yikhanda, ezamula njalo, ngaphansi kwe-caffeine, na-, njengoba kuvela, ugubha buthule usuku lwakhe lokuzalwa lwama-26. "Ngisanda kufika endaweni yami yesitudiyo kungakapheli ngisho imizuzu emibili edlule," uyahleka. "Ngilapha cishe unyaka." Ukusuka eQueens kuya ohlelweni oluhlonishwayo lobudlelwano beRoyal Academy kuwukusheshisa okungalawuleki nganoma yisiphi isilinganiso.. Kodwa nge-Agwam, ijubane lakho konke lincane mayelana nenhlanhla futhi okuningi mayelana nokucaca.
Wazalelwa eLagos futhi wakhulela eSouthside Jamaica, Queens, U-Agwam ukhulele emhlabeni owawugcwele futhi unamaphoyisa kakhulu. Abazali bakhe bamgcina ngaphakathi ukuze aphephe, kodwa umuzi wamfundisa ukuzimela kusenesikhathi. "Ngangisesitimela ngokushesha nje 10, 11 iminyaka ubudala," uthena. "Kufanele uthole lawo makhono kusenesikhathi—ukuba nomthwalo wemfanelo, ukuya emsebenzini, ukuphepha nokuqaphela." Ngaphakathi efulethini, indlela yokuphunyuka yayidweba. Ngokufinyelela okulinganiselwe emhlabeni wangaphandle, wathanda opopayi kanye namapopayi. Amanye ama-universe azizwe ekhanya kunalena engaphandle kwefasitela lakhe.
"Ngaqala ukudweba ngenxa yokudinwa," uyakhumbula. "Indawo engangihlala kuyo yayingangikhuthazi, kodwa opopayi banikeza izinga lenjabulo engangingeke ngilithole ngokwemvelo. Ngakho-ke ngasebenzisa ngokushesha njengendlela yokubhekana nayo." Leyo "indlela yokubhekana nayo" wakha isisekelo ngokuthula: ingane ekwazi ukudweba ekilasini, Intsha idlala ezincwadini zokubhalela, umculi osemusha owayengakaboni ubuciko njengendlela yokuphila esebenzayo.
Lolo shintsho aluzange lufike kwaze kwaba sekolishi lomphakathi, ngemuva kokuthi amaNyuvesi abewafuna ekuqaleni athi cha. "Bangiphoqa ukuthi ngithenge amapende ami okuqala," usho ngesethulo sesifundo sokudweba. "Ngaphambi kwalokho, Bengilokhu ngidweba nje… Bekuyinto nje yokuhambisa isikhathi. Kulelo klasi, bangiphoqe ukuthi ngenze umsebenzi wobuciko ngomzimba, ,indlela ebonakalayo, kukhanvasi. Futhi kusukela ngalowo nyaka, Ngisanda kuqala ukwenza izinto."
2019 kwakuyisiqalo. 2020 kwakuwubhubhane—ukufinyelela emcabangweni wakhe amahora angu-24. "Sikhiyelwe ngaphakathi. Akukho okunye engingakwenza," ephakamisa amahlombe. "Ngakho sizopenda." Waqala ukuthumela umsebenzi ku-inthanethi ngaphandle kwecebo, ukungaguquguquki nje. Kungakapheli unyaka, waba nezilaleli; nge 2021, ubekhombisa kumagalari eNew York, e-Los Angeles, kanye neLondon. Phakathi kwa- 2024, wenze umbukiso wakhe wokuqala eyedwa eHarkawik eManhattan. Manje, iRoyal Academy.
Uma umugqa wesikhathi uzwakala ungenakwenzeka, U-Agwam ungowokuqala ukumelana nenganekwane yokutholwa kungazelelwe. "Ngiyakholelwa ekumiselweni," uthena, "kodwa futhi ngikholelwa ukuthi abantu banezwi labo ngalokho okuhloselwe bona. Abantu bahlale besho, 'Uma kuhloswe ukuba kube njalo, kuhloswe ukuba kube njalo,' kodwa ngicabanga ukuthi sine-ejensi yethu. Ngicabanga ngomqondo oqondile, Ngingaba yiciko namuhla, udokotela kusasa, usomkhathi ngosuku olulandelayo. Ngokucaca okwanele nokugxila kanye nenhloso, Ngicabanga ukuthi kungenzeka noma yini."
Leyo nkolelo ku-ejensi ibonakala emsebenzini ngokwawo-imidwebo egcwele ukunwebeka, izibalo ezigqwayizayo ezibonakala zihamba endaweni ethile phakathi kwekhathuni, umoya, kanye nenkumbulo. Isithombe sakhe sizwakala njengephupho lomkhuhlane woMnyama: izitho ezinwetshiwe, izinkulumo zenjoloba, imihlaba edlidliza ngombala nemilando enamakhodi. "Ngincike ku-fantasy kanye ne-surrealism kanye nemicabango," Uyachaza. "Ukucabanga kufeza izinhloso eziningi ezahlukene. Isebenza inhloso esenzweni sokumelana. Isebenza ngenjongo yokuzipholisa futhi uzizwe ungcono nje. Uma umhlaba uyahlanya futhi umhlaba wakho wenyama uyabhidlika noma cha okufunayo, into elandelayo engcono kakhulu ukucabanga umhlaba ngaphandle kwawo."
Kwami, lowo mhlaba ocatshangelwayo uboshelwe ngokujulile kumuntu oMnyama kanye nohlu lokubukwayo olwesabekayo oluwuphethe. Ungena ezithombeni zaseMelika zasekuqaleni kwekhulu lamashumi amabili, UJim Crow-era caricatures, okucwasa ngokwebala nokubi, futhi iwashayisanise namakhathuni esimanje futhi athambile, amafomu ongawazi. "Ngawo-1920, 30s, kanye nama-40s kuya phambili, Abantu abamnyama babevezwe ngendlela ethile, ikakhulukazi ukudlala ngama-stereotypes," uthena. "Ngakho ngizothatha ezinye zezinto ezibonakalayo kulokho, futhi uphinde uwaxube nezinto ezibukwayo ezivela emakhathuni esimanje kanye nezithombe ezingathukutheli kangako zezibalo zabaMnyama. Ngijabule kakhulu, kakhulu, ukhathazeke kakhulu ngokuvala igebe phakathi kokuthile okufanekisayo nokuwubulima nokujabulisayo, futhi into engathi sína, ubuciko obuphezulu."
Izibalo zakhe azihlosile ukuba ngokoqobo. Bahlose ukuzwa. "Akudingekile ukuba kube ne-hyper-realistic. Akudingeki ngaso sonke isikhathi ukuthi kubhekwe," uyaphikelela. "Ngangihlale ngizwa sengathi ngidweba ngendlela engizizwa ngayo impilo yabaMnyama, kunokuba ibukeke kanjani impilo yabaMnyama."
Lowo mehluko ubalulekile. Emkhathini we-Agwam, isibalo esiMnyama sivunyelwe ukunwebeka, eyinqaba, ejabulile, i-melancholy, futhi ukhululiwe emthwalweni wokufaneleka. Imidwebo ayisebenzi nje njengezithombe kodwa njengezinhlamvu. Uyabhala, uzindla ngezinkumbulo ezithile, futhi isebenzisa leyo mibhalo njengemiyalelo yesiqeshana ngasinye. Ngokukhula, the words themselves seep to the surface: stamped envelopes, handwritten lines, fragments of correspondence. "These portraits are like letters to myself and then letters to whoever's reading it," uthena. "It's like memory, animation, imagination coming into this big melting pot."
There's also a quieter bravery in how he navigates risk. Agwam is acutely aware of the fine line between reclaiming caricature and reproducing harm. "It's a thin line between offensive and not offensive artwork," he acknowledges. "I think you find balance through trying and through failing. I'm not super happy with most of the artworks that I make, but I still put it out anyway. Because sometimes how I feel is irrelevant to how other people are going to feel about it."
Read more in Izindaba okuphikiswana ngazo 33