When she stepped into the art gallery in Linz, Austria, recently, surrounded by her work, Namafu Amutse felt immense joy, pride and humbleness, a reminder of why she is a visual artist.

The creative’s work is centred on telling stories of black people in ways that feel honest and layered. 

Amutse is fascinated by the future, how people heal, rebuild and imagine beyond what history has left.  Her art often speaks about power, identity, becoming and belonging. 

“My art transcended geographically, and Namibia along with it. The experience reminded me why I do what I do and how the goal has always been to have my work find its place in the global art space,” she said.

Amutse said it felt surreal in every way because there is always something grounding about carrying a piece of home into a completely different space.

“The experience reminded me why I do what I do and how the goal has always been to have my work find its place in the global art space,” she shared.

The title of the exhibition is ‘Wandala: drama. dream. decolonised.’  Many of the pieces explored futurism, masculinity, femininity and black identity.

She said: “The aim was to showcase artwork that contributes to the vastness of African creativity. My work does exactly that by capturing images that reflect the stories inside and around me”.

The curator, Martin Wassermair, selected the artworks from her complete body of work, created between 2019-2021. On the audience’s response, she said the response has been really moving. 

Amutse said they were curious. 

 She watched as they stood in front of her work with genuine interest and an eagerness to understand.

“It has pushed me to think more globally and see my work as part of a larger conversation. However, it has also made me realise the importance of remaining authentic instead of assimilating for the sake of global appeal. I don’t create for the world to understand. The world will have to learn to understand what I create,” she explained.

She indicated that the only challenge she faced was trusting the process. 

The planning for this exhibition started about three years ago. That is when she met Martin in November 2023 – when he asked her to be part of the exhibition.

“I didn’t see him again until I got to Linz on 12 October 2025. During that time, we had many online conversations regarding the process… It’s so funny looking back now because I feel like I blinked, and the wait was over,” she said. 

Amutse said that “Namibian art tends to carry history and hope. The emotion behind those human things is something anyone can connect to. I believe that when we tell our stories authentically, the world will listen”. After this experience, she is committed to creating a body of work that travels and plans to expand her international reach and keep amplifying futurist perspectives. 

“When I playfully started my photography journey in 2019, I had no idea the kind of opportunities it would later come to afford me. Not only has my art taken me places, but it has also been to places even I haven’t seen,” said the creative.

The exhibition was well-planned and organised.

Everything unfolded perfectly and professionally.  The exhibition will be showing until 22 February 2026. -psiririka@nepc.com.na