Alim Karmali Brings Pop Art to Uganda

I took this picture of Ugandan artist Alim Karmali posing next to his "pop art" creations at a 2009 exhibition, in Kamwokya, themed 'Images in Light.'  Pop art, though known for its intensity and ubiquity remains a new thing in Uganda, so I was drawn by Alim's semi-abstract 'showbiz' paintings: one depicting Bruce Lee's trademark pose, and the other showing a member of a famous old British band that the painter has loved for a long time.  Alim's creations are striking because of the effect generated by his ability to bring out fine details using only three sharply contrasting colours -signifying the force of the figures he paints. "I've never been good at blending colours; that's why I stick to solid colours," he told me. "I like the uniform kind in black and white and how they sit together, while I used a bit of blue in Bruce Lee for experimental purposes."  Justifying his shadow technique, he said: "I didn't want to make it very conventional; everywhere you go you find everybody doing realistic art like they paint a picture of somebody and it looks just like them." I found his running away from realism interesting considering that pop art actually began as a reaction against the abstract art of the 1940s and 50s, which its antagonists considered too removed from reality. Pop art which draws from performance has since had a worldwide impact on graphic and fashion design but it yet to be fully embraced in Uganda.