Born in 1992, Ronald Odur is a multi-media artist in Uganda. He mostly works with aluminium plates, which he manipulates by embossing, burning, stitching, creasing and adding wire, paper and other objects. His work and ideas then reveal themselves as sculpture, installation, drawing and performance.
His connection to aluminium, which is his primary resource, started in his early days as a child growing up in Kampala, when he would collect aluminium scrap to sell to local scrap dealers in a quest to earn money to buy toys. What started as ‘scrap material’ later provided him a platform for self-expression, as his search for affordable material to use for his art brought him back to the same material.
On his 2020 winning artwork:
“The title ‘Ebya kayisaali’ is translated from Luganda as what belongs to Caesar. This work was inspired by the unfair introduction of social media tax in Uganda and the banning of some music from playing on radio and television. All this I represented in this work in four pieces; a radio, ripped cassette tape to signify the banned music, money and a newspaper of stitched aluminum printing plate with copper wires. This piece of composition is a representation of societal objects and unfair taxation levied on Ugandans in the move to infringe on the freedom of expression and speech.’ Ronald Odur.
Runner Up for the MMA Prize 2020 is Solomon Agaba Peabo, a photography and digital artist for his artwork entitled ‘Into the Future’.
“Into the future shows a man in a taxi looking at his final destination and is seeing futuristic transport means on the other side wondering if he will make it with the old transport means in this new world.” – Solomon Agaba Peabo.
Second Runner Up for the MMA Prize 2020 is Elvis Kiweewa, a hyper-realist pencil artist for his artwork entitled ‘Drawing of Peter Wanabwa washing his face’.
“Like in all humans, this series of drawing water depicts mental health and metaphors and how we wash off all the distractions and start off our days better and straight off forward for better days to come, the water is a fluid, changeable and cleansing.” – Elvis Kiweewa.
