Muramuzi JohnBosco

The Urban conversations I - Painting, Acrylic on canvas

2024

Muramuzi JohnBosco (b.1991, Sheema District, Uganda), is a contemporary and graffiti artist. Since graduating in 2014 with a diploma in Industrial Art and Design (from YMCA Comprehensive Institute, Kampala, Uganda), JohnBosco has exhibited in various solo exhibitions in Uganda as well participating internationally in group exhibitions in Africa, Europe, America and Asia. His main source of inspiration is Kampala, the Ugandan capital and Sheema, his village in the western part of Uganda, where he spent most of his upbringing. Also, he credits his mother, a weaver, as a big influence and inspiration to his career growth, style and technique that can be clearly seen in his intricate bold woven-like semi abstract cityscapes with human figures, unapologetically depict the lower-middle class Ugandan people in a magical way that empowers the viewer with a powerful message of hope. Growing up, JohnBosco was inspired by watching his mother weaving traditional fabrics. In his words: “I draw most of my inspiration from the study of human beings and their surroundings. I use various media for my work mainly on canvas: oil, acrylic, mud, soil, old cloths, backcloth, raffia, papers and other materials. My artworks create room for colour, texture, shadow and light to meet up and interact, giving birth to stories. The source of stories varies but most are memories of my journey from the village (Sheema) to the streets of Kampala; the different places I have lived in; the congestion and traffic jams; the scenes of everyday life of an African city-dweller.”