Lumu’s art adds life, colour, and creates therapy in living spaces

There is a saying that goes, ‘you can have a chair worth a million dollars but you have to sit on it and when you do, you face the wall’. So what is on that wall that keeps you in that room?

The South Americans believe that working so hard in our lives should make meaning in the sense that when we go home, our eyes become the windows to our souls.

As such, we need to find something pleasing to show to our soul. So, we need to have something beautiful on our walls to justify our sweat and empower our souls.

Art is one of the main options for the therapy it is able to provide. Yet, American painter Jackson Pollock argued that art is coming face to face with yourself.

As such, in choosing your art, an element of your personality is represented, so you could say that the walls in your spaces partly tell about your character traits and décor tastes.

David Kibuuka Lumu has been doing art for 40 years. “When you go home, the art on your walls can relax you,” he adds. Over time, the artist has cut out a niche for purposing part of his talent towards creating art for use in decorating homes, hotels, offices, and high-end condominiums.

He does this under Zimbe Collections Interior which works with interior designers and individuals who visit the showroom in Ntinda and make a choice from the collection of art pieces; paintings and batiks.

At Zimbe, which he named after his grandfather, is a rich collection that varies in subject. You will find pieces that depict Ugandan culture and heritage, from gender roles to representations of how Africans lived, with no clothes to the way they adapted to getting dressed.

There is also a showcase of wildlife in his works as well as modern batiks which, as he explains, many have interpreted as paintings. On display, are also artistic masks as well as multi-coloured baskets that are options to be used on walls.

The modern Batik technique is a revolutionary repackaged application that enhances the detail of an image on fabric using wax and dyes. Kibuuka caters to homeowners and fits in to complement elements such as modern furniture set up, and round up the interior décor with culturally suitable artwork.

“My aim is not to target the mzungu (foreign) market but target indigenous Uganda and black Africans especially in Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. These are the closest countries to me and I try to cater to the elite,” the artist explains.

Kibuuka’s loyal clientele consists of collectors from the business, corporate, sports and entertainment communities. Before returning to Uganda recently, Kibuuka owned and operated art galleries in the cities of Toronto and Los Angeles as well as in South America.

The works of the veteran artists hang on the walls of the five-star Kampala Serena Hotel and Sheraton Kampala Hotel as well as facilities such as Nabagereka Sanga Apartments in Nakasero, in banks as well as residencies of locals who appreciate and willingly pay to have the artworks.

Image sharing, social media service, and visual discovery engine, Pinterest offers 630 2021 art interior ideas.  The Architectural Digest, recommends different uses, for example going for large-scale art and photographs to command attention and set the tone in a small space.

You can curate a gallery wall to add personality and colour, incorporate an accent wall by adding bright and bold paint colour, or showcase a fabric to add a pop of colour and pattern on your walls.

The Spruce, an online décor platform argues that no home is complete without a piece of art—or many.  “While mustering up the courage to hang things on those blank walls may feel a bit daunting, you will thank yourself when you finally get that gallery wall up and can admire your favourite photos and paintings each and every day.”

Before you get started, though, it recommends that you keep the following tips in mind; they spoke with designers to gather plenty of dos and don’ts to consider when it comes to displaying artwork.