Thierry Goldberg is pleased to present Inside Outside, an online exhibition of works by Bwambale Wesely. The exhibition will be on view from April 7th to May 6th, 2023.
Through portraiture and storytelling, Bwambale Wesely’s paintings explore contemporary life in his native Uganda. His subjects, often Black women, are depicted with an intimacy and intensity that is both captivating and revealing.
Combining personal narratives and observations of his close family and friends, the artist renders his daily surroundings with a distinctive approach to portraiture. The works presented in Inside Outside focus on the women that have influenced Wesely’s life: His three sisters and more recently, his wife.
Placed against colorful backgrounds – in contemporary interiors, or outdoors, in lush landscapes – some of the figures in the paintings gaze directly back at the viewer, while others look away. In Standing Alone (2023), Milk Tea (2023), and Hot Hours (2023), the figures are situated in a domestic setting; while The Girl Talk (2023), and The Two Sisters (2023) present the figures outdoors, surrounded by flora and fauna. Wesely invokes the nurturing qualities he associates with the women in his life, while speaking to the role model they provide and their support that is all too often overlooked.
Bwambale Wesely (b. 1994, Kasese, Uganda) lives and works in Kampala, Uganda. He holds a BA in Art from Kyambogo University, Kampala, Uganda. His work was recently exhibited in An Ode to Okwui Enwezor at Band of Vices Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; and in Familiar Relationships, at Taag Gallery, New York, NY. This is his first exhibition with Thierry Goldberg Gallery.