Bolivian artist Mamani Mamani’s vibrant Andean landscapes on display at Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi will transport you to another world.
In collaboration with the Artissima Art Gallery in Dubai, Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi is featuring 10 paintings by celebrated Bolivian artist Roberto Mamani Mamani from now until April 23 in an exhibition entitled Portraits.
Mamani Mamani, as the artist prefers to be called, is known for his colourful, cartoonish paintings, often abstract representations of Andean landscapes. Born in the Quechua region of Bolivia, Mamani Mamani is self-taught, and developed his style using inspiration from the natural backdrop of his home region: the Andes mountains in South America.
The first thing you notice about Mamani Mamani’s work is its striking intensity. He creates the colours by only using natural, pure, powder pigments. He says, ‘Because the paints I use are natural, their colour is more vibrant and this is what gives my paintings their signature palette and character.’
The artist’s carefully crafted graphic landscapes emanate from the four corners of Mamani Mamani’s canvases. The gradients and shadows give a three-dimensional effect to the shapes, and while he deals with varying subject matter, each of his works carries his distinct style.
Most of the inspiration for Mamani Mamani’s paintings comes from the Andes mountains, and the landscape and traditions of the Andean region in South America. He says, ‘In Bolivia you see lots of colours at festivals, in decor and in clothing. It’s our way of thanking Mother Earth for the life we have.’
Culturally, the region has a strong connection to nature, spiritual beliefs and superstitions. There is even a spiritual reason behind Mamani Mamani’s vivid colour schemes. He explains, ‘I was taught by my elders that strong, vibrant colours make bad spirits flee away and help to break the darkness. They said that colour means life.’
All of Mamani Mamani’s paintings have strong geometric elements – sharp angles and shapes – juxtaposed with fanciful curves and organic structures such as rolling hills and cartoon-like hands and faces, with
a dark outline between every shape and hue change.
Another recurring characteristic of Mamami Mamani’s work is his tendency to blend his subject matter into landscapes and vice-versa. At first glance, his paintings often look like colourful mountain ranges. But look a little closer, and you can see that the mountains are often something else – for example, the knees of a tired mother, or the tails of two horses.
He says, ‘Normally, I work on two or three pieces at once, so I will jump from colour to colour, or shape to shape. Working this way means that it usually takes around two to three weeks to create a medium-size piece, but it varies.’
The name of the exhibition, Portraits, is deliberately misleading. You’d expect portraiture, but what you get is a collection of landscapes. The artist explains his choice of word: ‘The name Portraits refers to different moments in life that are captured in the work. They are more like episodes or themes – portraits of a point in time.’
See Mamani Mamani’s exhibition Portraits from now until April 23. Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi, Al Muroor Road, www.dusit.com (02 698 8888). You can purchase his paintings from Dhs19,250 through Artissima Gallery, Sheikh Zayed Road, Exit 43, Al Manara Road Al Quoz 1, Street No 8, Building 2, Unit 6, Dubai, www.artissimaartgallery.com (04 380 6479).
