David Mzuguno looks at one of his paintings

By Dominic Muwanguzi

WALKING into a room with paintings on the wall is a breathtaking experience which cannot be easily forgotten.
David Mzuguno’s paintings to be exhibited at the International School of Uganda Dinning Hall enjoy this status and will easily get any art lover to fall in love with his style he calls Tingatinga.

The Tanzanian artist is here for an exhibition dubbed The Last Living Master Tingatinga Painter of Tanzania, where he will showcase his work.
“I am the last member of the group which gave birth to Tingatinga.

I am proud that I have preserved the components of Tingatinga,” he says.
Tingatinga art involves using particular mediums like enamel, a medium which gives the painting a glossy appeal. The art is also decorative and primarily concentrates on themes like vegetation and wildlife.

“Tingatinga is a style that was started by a Tanzanian artist, Edward Sayid Tingatinga in the 1960s.

The style is popular because of the message it expresses. “The style calls for the preservation of the environment and culture. The message does not discriminate between race and age.”

Pascal Bogaert who has worked with the artist for 10 years, considers the 54-year-old artist a genius. “He is exceptional at his work. It involves artistic and personal qualities which sometimes elude many artists.

He Is not copying anyone and paints from the heart. He is an inexhaustible source of inspiration.”The colours of his art are carefully selected and layered from one part of the canvas to another to achieve a particular effect.

“Art should not be confined indoors. It should be put on street corners and other public places to be viewed. That is how you can sufficiently convey a message,” Mzuguno says.

The art exhibition starts on March 12 and goes on for a week at the International School of Uganda in Lubowa.