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Lot Essay
Sanaa Gateja’s intricate mixed-media work is focused on the use of recycled waste materials, which he often combines with supports such as bark cloth, raffia and banana fibre. From the waste, most notably discarded paper, Gateja fabricates beads which adorn the surface of his colourful, richly textural compositions. As such, the artist makes ‘the emergence of new work from the disarray possible’.
Gateja’s fame in Uganda has afforded him the moniker ‘Bead King’. Through his work he also aims to empower those around him, especially the women he trains and employs to assist in the creation of his often monumental tapestry-like works. He was himself inspired early on by the craftsmanship of the potters, blacksmiths, and weavers in his childhood village, as well as his time spent studying interior design in Italy and, later, design at Goldsmiths University of London.
Executed in 2014, Big Mama is a dynamic example of Gateja’s beadwork practice. Its organic, swirling composition interacts with a striking wealth and balance of colour, creating a vivid biomorphic presence.
Sanaa Gateja lives and works in Kampala, Uganda. After fleeing the civil war in the 1980s he lived between Kenya, Italy and the United Kingdom. His work has been exhibited at the Mbari Institute, Washington, D.C; The Museum of Art and Design, New York, and the Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh. He was a featured artist at art fairs such as 1-54 London, New York and Paris and the Joburg Art Fair (2016). Gateja’s work is held in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Scotland. His work is on permanent display at the National Museums of Kenya and Uganda.
Gateja’s fame in Uganda has afforded him the moniker ‘Bead King’. Through his work he also aims to empower those around him, especially the women he trains and employs to assist in the creation of his often monumental tapestry-like works. He was himself inspired early on by the craftsmanship of the potters, blacksmiths, and weavers in his childhood village, as well as his time spent studying interior design in Italy and, later, design at Goldsmiths University of London.
Executed in 2014, Big Mama is a dynamic example of Gateja’s beadwork practice. Its organic, swirling composition interacts with a striking wealth and balance of colour, creating a vivid biomorphic presence.
Sanaa Gateja lives and works in Kampala, Uganda. After fleeing the civil war in the 1980s he lived between Kenya, Italy and the United Kingdom. His work has been exhibited at the Mbari Institute, Washington, D.C; The Museum of Art and Design, New York, and the Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh. He was a featured artist at art fairs such as 1-54 London, New York and Paris and the Joburg Art Fair (2016). Gateja’s work is held in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Scotland. His work is on permanent display at the National Museums of Kenya and Uganda.