#xenson

[jareckiworld]

Samson “Xenson” Ssenkaaba   -  Pro Afro Woman  (acrylic on canvas, 2017)

[selfportraitsofcolor]

Samson Ssenkaaba / XENSON, b. 1976 My First Bike Uganda (undated) [Source]

I’m not 100% sure if this is a self-portrait, but it looks nice, no?

Samson Ssenkaaba a.k.a Xenson, is a Ugandan Artist, fashion designer and poet at the vanguard of a youthful African Art renaissance that refuses to be pigeonholed into a singular Artistic expression.

A solitary dreamer greatly influenced by the grandeur of African cultures, vitality of African dance and performance, and hip-hop as a free expressive art form. Samson traded his engineering studies to join the Margaret Trowel School of Industrial and Fine Arts, Makerere University, Kampala where he graduated with a 1st class honors degree. Since then, intermittent appearances of his Art works, Films and fashions (see his fashion at www.xensonfashion.com) have been shown in numerous exhibitions and shows in Uganda and abroad.

There’s a longer bio of him here!

[faisal-kiwewa]

"To stand out and become significantly successful, we need to step out of our comfort zones and question how much effort we are really making to help the creative arts industry boom. We all share the goal of developing the industry into one that truly represents Ugandan talent and makes everyone proud." Startjournal.org has invited Kiwewa Faisal of Bayimba Cultural Foundation to write his opinions about Ugandan arts and culture.

[blogmushroomincus]

XENSON FASHION XPRESSION 2016.

XENSON FASHION XPRESSION 2016.

  As opposed to the traditional fashion shows, Xenson shows are an exhibition of style. Xenson presentations will always be incredibly curated major fashion events and extravaganzas.  His shows combine his extraordinary award winning artistry, Visual Aesthetic and in nutritious design sensibilities to offer an unmatched memorable fashion experience. Xenson has been showcasing internationally in…

View On WordPress

[eastafricaart]

Artwork exhibited in Nakasero by Ugandan artist Samson Ssenkaaba aka Xenson at the Kampala Contemporary Art Festival 2012

“Today we are seeing a huge dumping phenomenon of second hand products and cheap Chinese brand name knock-offs in many African cities. Most of the second hand goods come through the sea via these containers. Inevitably the containers are the vehicles of a phenomenon that is blind to unsuspecting citizens of these third world economies who at the same time are unaware of the pending gross repercussions.

Through my art I’m trying to create an awareness of the dangers of dumping, which is now common in contemporary Africa. I strive to ask critical but emotionally sensitive questions and solicit information from the audience by highlighting this issue. In turn I believe this will stimulate a thought process and potentially perpetrate the necessary action. There is a critical question however: Can there be a seamless co-existence of technology and economic advancement without tremendous damage to the environment?

My art seeks to represent some conceptual and abstract answers to this question.”

[typicalugandan]

Ugandan designer; Xenson Ssenkaaba’s Futuristic-Past fashion show last Wednesday at Serena hotel’s Victoria hall was the epitome of style in Uganda’s fashion industry (Pictured are some of the designs: Xenson's triple dress and some reed dresses.)

Xenson is a Jack of all trades; he paints, raps, sprays walls with graffiti and designs clothes. He is also a poet, one who prefers to write in his native Luganda.

This diversity, or restlessness if you prefer, could easily be used to diagnose Xenson as a Jack of all trades, one who ends up so stretched that he never excels at any. But deriving such conclusions skirts his passionate dedication to art. After all, he quit an engineering degree and decided to study Fine Art instead, earning a first class degree.

Xenson said Futuristic Past, “Is a retrospective look of where we are coming from, where we are and where we are headed as humans.” His work at the exhibition, was structured to represent three eras; the past, the present and the future or, to fit it in the shows narrative, the futuristic past.