Velma Rosai on diagramming African mythological histories and blurring the lines between the physical and the spiritual through her paintings
velma is an exploratory artist. refusing the limitations of choosing one medium or space, her practice is informed by archival images and cinemascapes of Africa, melded with inspiration from African mythology, spirituality and divinity. here the artist expands the borders of her introspection to include us, discussing the impact of heritage on her work and the connections she is finding between her home in Oaxaca and home in Kenya
Velma
I was born and bred in Nairobi but it has never quite felt like home. I’m not sure I belong anywhere but Oaxaca, where I am now, has started to feel like a surrogate home. Mexico is magical realism everyday and I think that has contributed to it. I was never encouraged to be an artist. Far from it, but it was a calling I couldn’t say no to. It came about organically and there was no real process with this journey into artistry but I followed the call and it led me here. I mostly produce work for myself. Painting is a form of meditation for me and then I choose whether to share it with people or just archive it. It’s really really personal.
My Spirit Charts. LOVE SONG. Velma Rosai- Makhandia.
On Artistry and Process
Do you have an artist statement or a question that drives your work?
It’s never that deep.
What would you say is your process?
It is purely instinctual and personal. With painting I just make a line on the paper and go how the spirit or the feelings guide me.
How did you start with photography?
I was drawn to my parents archival storehouse (albums) of vintage photographs of them captured during the post-colonial era - the feelings, textures, tones that reverberate. Now in my autobiographical photographs I always try to capture the same.
You are now working with paint as a medium, how do you decide when it is time to try something new?
I am a student of the stars if you will and I welcome unfiltered inspiration that isn’t always understood or in need of being fully understood. I like the organic fluidity.
Can you tell us about a project or body of work you are currently working on?
I am currently painting an ongoing series titled 'Fruits of the Spirit. The paintings are a study of the principle of dreams, the fourth wall, and the mythical world of creations existing in the blurred lines between the real and the imagined, the realm of spirituality, a divine order. This is an exploration of an existing body of work with a singular focus based on my current surroundings in Nairobi, given the opportunity, I would like to add on a layer from Oaxaca, put these two cities in effect to one another and figure out what they do as a consequence to that, on a mythical level.
Velma Rosai-Makhandia
‘The continent, Africa, is a source of rich resonant myths which give me the space to unravel, remember, and perhaps visually coerce an understanding of the intersectionality of the unworldly and my being.’
On Influences and Inspirations
How has your background as an artist with African heritage influenced your work?
The continent, Africa, is a source of rich resonant myths which give me the space to unravel, remember, and perhaps visually coerce an understanding of the intersectionality of the unworldly and my being. Mythology in a sense is a metaphor for human existence, a narrative of the psyche and the self for a transformation process. I am, therefore, doing research on the divinities and spiritual beliefs in Oaxaca, and essentially study the comparisons between beliefs from Africa and those of Oaxaca- understanding where our beliefs might converge and create a series of works informed by these studies; to dissect and diagram our stories. I don't think that the continent and Mexico exist independently of each other, each informs the other.
What artists do you look to for inspiration?
African female artists! ALLADEM!- Toyin Ojih Odutola, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Cassie Namoda, Rharha Nembhard, Lina Iris Viktor, Sarah Waiswa, Felicia Abban, Mama Cassette, Jadé Fadojutimi and and and
What are some references that have influenced and continue to influence your work?
I am curious about the pochote paper local to the oaxaca area which is a new medium I'm experimenting with. It’s believed that the pochote tree connects the underworld to the heavens so I’m essentially binding my work with the spirit (when painting).
Do you have any favourite artists or have you discovered any lesser known artists in your research we should know about?
Nika Milano (she is a video mixer) , Sahara Longe lol and they are nothing to do with my research, just pure encounters!
What is it about those works that draws you to them?
Nika Milano’s video work is like fingerprints, no one video is the same and the colours and movement are just hypnotic. Mood Affecting. Sahara Longe’s figurative work reminds me of a Gauguin! The people seem alive and like they are observing you and alive from the painting.
Fruits of the Spirit Series. Velma Rosai-Makhandia.
Velma Rosai-Makhandia