Candongueiro

By Nadine Siegert, Bayreuth, Germany. Iwalewa-Haus, University of Bayreuth

A former exhibition Específico / Killing Structures of the angolan artist HM showed a universe of superior creatures, which could be also archetypes of our contemporary society, but albeit they came from the ultimate ground of history. In his new series Empirico Candungueiro he draws more from the concrete situation of the people in the metropolis of Luanda. Candungueiros – the most important means of public transport – that is chaos, tightness but above all the exigency for the search of possibilities of survival in this constantly changing urban environment. HM’s studio is situated in the middle of this vivid chaos, and he takes his experience of this daily madness as basis of his new work. The city of Luanda, which is in front of his eyes all the time, is transposed into his characteristic pictorial expression. His candungueiros seem to be peaceful at the first sight, but again he is asking explicit questions to his time and society. Albeit HM is present at international exhibitions, his main concern is still first and foremost the local art world in Luanda. He is demanding galleries, collectors and other institutions like UNAP (União Nacional dos Artistas Plasticos) for their responsibility for the development of an appropriate art-market, where prices and quality of the artistic works consort which each other. In order to create a new centre of the art-world in Luanda, the local art-scene should be more dynamic and flexible. The works of the series are formally extremely impressive, the colors are applied with the artists’ characteristic stroke on the canvas. There is a dominance of the white and blue of the Candungueiros, in order to capture their peculiarity and relevance. The paintings are accompanied by drawings, which contribute a very direct and fresh aspect in their characteristics, and support the paintings in their force. Both are aspects of the urban life, of which one can be weary soon, when apathy will take over considering the mere desperate chaos on Luandas streets and in the postwar-society. But HM is not only regarding at it with anger, sometimes his strokes are even gentle and care for the object… but in the next second one seems to feel his rage about his own powerlessness which is bursting through the coat. Relentlessly and lovable stubborn he is following is heavy task, that he has devoted himself to: the revolution of painting. We can only wish him all the possible support for is initiative.