WINDHOEK, May 17 (Xinhua) -- In an illustration showing dry wooden logs wrapped in white strings and hanging on a roof top, renowned Namibian visual artist Alfeus Mvula is using his talent to address the problem of drought in his country.
Dubbed "Rain," Mvula's visual artwork, which is being exhibited at the National Art Gallery of Namibia (NAGN) until June 29, 2019, is part of his artwork that focuses on cattle to tell different local stories.
The wooden logs hanging on a roof top symbolize how the skies have been withholding the rains from blessing the land of Namibia. Below the "Rain" crafting, on the floor, a hard brown cover with white represents the seriousness of the drought.
The ethnic color on the brown cover carries the same shade of brown as the Namib Desert to show the extinction of life in the absence of water.
"The 'Rain' artwork was made from native trees that are found in Etosha National Park," said Annapaula Vakamuena, communications and marketing officer at NAGN. "It symbolizes the much-needed rain in Namibia, and it is part of a whole set of other art pieces in which Mvula used cattle as the subject of a metaphor in bringing out various issues in our society."
She told Xinhua that Mvula's use of cattle crafts in the form of various visual arts such as digital, printmaking, stone carving and wood sculpture, shows the subject's ability to be a metaphor for society.
One of the visitors at the "Metaphor" exhibition, Ndahafa Makambe, told Xinhua that "Rain" is being exhibited at an appropriate time.
"Mvula's expression on the 'Rain' is the most outstanding compared to the other artworks which are part of his 'Metaphor' exhibition," said Makambe, adding that this shows the issue of drought is the main concern of every Namibian.
"It affects agriculture, livestock and food security," said Makambe. "Our country is already a dry place and now there is no rain, which means our agriculture activities are negatively affected."
Makambe's view was echoed by her companion Annabelle Kaseke, who said that the "Rain" piece also reflects the issue of climate change in Namibia and the whole southern African region.
"The fact that the artwork does not have any other color either than white and brown is also an expression of extinction," said Kaseke, adding that "this is a reflection on the cattle that are dying in some of our regions due to thirst."
Mvula's exhibition came four days after the country's President Hage Geingob declared the drought in Namibia as a national disaster on May 6, 2019.
Mvula is a passionate visual artist who has won two global awards and had numerous solo exhibitions and group shows.
