Artist who followed lonely path counts his gains

Pascal Chuma made the radical choice not to follow the majority of his classmates when they completed their art course at Buru Buru Institute of Fine Art (Bifa) in 2000.

“They didn’t believe they could survive as artists in Kenya at this point in time, so they became graphic artists,” said the founder of Bobea Art Centre in Donholm Estate.

Conceding that financially it hasn’t been easy sticking with painting.

But once he won an award late last year during the ‘Kenyans for Kenya’ campaign organised by the Village Market to raise funds for hunger-stricken Kenyans who were victims of the drought in the Northeast, the prospects for doing well as a visual artist in Kenya improved significantly.

“My painting was the highest seller at the art auction run by Village Market’s managing director Hamed Ehsani to raise funds for the drought victims. It went for KSh260,000,” said Chuma.

The artist doesn’t know who bought the painting entitled “My Dream will never die” since Village Market ran a ‘silent auction’ where anyone interested in an artwork.

Nurturing talent

He wrote down a figure and then, people waited to see whose bid was highest.

The buyer chose to remain anonymous, but others present at the auction got in touch with Chuma.

“Village Market gave me my first exhibition the following December last year. People from Braeburn School also came and invited me to exhibit at their Coffee House in Lavington since they appreciated what I do,” said the artist cum art teacher who started Bobea Art Centre in Kayole back in 2007 to nurture artistic talent among disadvantaged youth who can’t afford school fees to study the arts.

“After that I also got a booking for Bobea artists at Osteria Restaurant in Karen in April, although that had to be postponed until this coming June,” said Chuma who was speaking to Business Daily at the Village Market where he and his art students are currently exhibiting through May 7.

Chuma has had lots of experience nurturing youthful talent among Kenyans.

His first job was straight out of Bifa where his cards, miniature printed reproductions of his paintings, found their way to UK where a group called Wetfoot International took interest in his work.