Emma Prempeh
(Unspoken Conversation) Kyagwe, 2024
Oil, acrylic and Schlag metal on canvas
200 x 340 cm (Diptych)
78 3/4 x 133 7/8 in
78 3/4 x 133 7/8 in
EPR 066
Copyright of the artist
‘This moment is quite interesting to me, as I’m looking at a photo of something that will never be the same again. After visiting Kyagwe, where Alim’s mother and her...
‘This moment is quite interesting to me, as I’m looking at a photo of something that will never be the same again. After visiting Kyagwe, where Alim’s mother and her partner now live, I got to see the farm that used to be his grandmother’s home. There was also a smaller house beside it that belonged to his grandmother. When I saw it, it was still in its original state. However, not long after we left, Alim showed me a picture, and the house had completely changed.
He shared how that made him feel sad because what his mother sees as her memories is different from what he holds onto as his memories. She’s redesigning the house, likely thinking of it as a way to take the land that was once her mother’s and make it her own, improving it in her eyes. But for Alim, it feels like she’s erasing the place where he held so many of his memories, particularly of his relationship with her.
For me, the most significant aspect is the relationship between Alim and his mother, which is complicated, but not really my place to fully explore. Yet, in some way, everything I paint is filtered through my own gaze - my own reckoning with what I see and experience, especially here in Uganda.’
He shared how that made him feel sad because what his mother sees as her memories is different from what he holds onto as his memories. She’s redesigning the house, likely thinking of it as a way to take the land that was once her mother’s and make it her own, improving it in her eyes. But for Alim, it feels like she’s erasing the place where he held so many of his memories, particularly of his relationship with her.
For me, the most significant aspect is the relationship between Alim and his mother, which is complicated, but not really my place to fully explore. Yet, in some way, everything I paint is filtered through my own gaze - my own reckoning with what I see and experience, especially here in Uganda.’