Sungi Mlengeya Uses Her Art to Celebrate Tanzanian and Ugandan Women
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Loading... - John Omari
- 26 Sep 2022
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Sungi Mlengeya has spent the better years of her artistic life refining her visual aesthetic. Opting for minimalism and monochromatic colors, the Dar es Salaam-born artist tries to celebrate the women in her life, exploring every lived moment she shared with them and illuminating the powerful roles of these women to the growth of their societies. Her work often features women in movement, capturing acrobatic poses.
A career in the arts wasn't always apparent for Mlengeya, who is self-taught. After studying finance in university and graduating from Catholic University of Eastern Africa in 2013, she started a career in banking, while selling pieces of her artwork on the side. In 2018, she started working with a gallery and she has been a full time artist ever since.
In her new exhibition, titled (Un)choreographed, Mlengeya explores the essence of dance and the several ways it serves not just as an expression for women but as a means for women’s liberation. Speaking to OkayAfrica, Mlengeya discusses stylistic choices in her art, women as her muse, and her exhibition in The Africa Centre, London.
You switched from working in the bank to an artist. What motivated you to pursue art as a career?
I have always wanted to be an artist but I didn’t know how and when. It was just a pipe dream. I chose to study finance because I thought it would be a general knowledge I could apply in my personal affairs whether it was an art related business or any business or I could either get employed with it. I just felt it was general because I didn’t want something specific like an account which would limit me to a certain career choice. Read More…
