By Pinehas Nakaziko
WINDHOEK-Well known Namibian sculptor, Alfeus Mvula, is exhibiting in his latest solo exhibition titled The Body at the National Art Gallery of Namibia (NAGN).
The exhibition opened last Thursday and consists of sculptures carved from stones. One of the sculptures is titled Big Five, depicting the founding father Dr Sam Nujoma, President Hifikepunye Pohamba, Defence Minister Nahas Angula, Home Affairs Minister Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana and Prime Minister Dr Hage Geingob. “This stone sculpture fits well into the Namibian history and how the change of power occurred. The Big Five also demonstrates who the next president is. This was my own artistic expression and prediction which came true at the end. If Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana becomes the prime minister in the future, then the sculpture will be a symbol of the future,” says he.
The Body exhibition incorporates drawings, prints and notable sculptures which portrayed Alfeus’s view of the human body. “As a sculptor I have been trained to study and explore the nude human body and that is why I had decided to explore it in this exhibition” he says. He adds that it is true some people are not comfortable with the naked body, and react differently to nude bodies but at the end of the day, it is part of human life, and it is also part of the arts.
“This has been part of the arts for hundreds of years, and some of the greats such as Da Vinci and Michelangelo’s nude sculptures make up some of the world’s most sought after artworks,” he justifies. After the exhibition at NAGN, Alfeus is expected to exhibit at the Franco National Cultural Centre (FNCC) and in Pretoria “South Africa’s Road to Africa” exhibition, schedule to open on May 24 .
His current exhibition followed his previous exhibition at Vanersborg, Sweden last month. He however has been creating beautiful works of sculpture since the early 1990s, and has exhibited in countries such as Botswana, Finland and Germany.