Mirrors
Since 2019, Makano has been working on a body of works titled “MIRRORS”, where he features figures that have made an impact and inspire(d) youths in Uganda and the World Over. The collection features 2 series that is – 1) Timeless and 2) MadeInUganda. Portraits took between 100-600 hours for the MadeInUganda series and 10-60 hours for the Timeless series to create.
The title Mirrors was inspired by the idea to let people if they wish, see themselves in the artworks, Reflect themselves in one or more of the figures. The artist hopes that this will inspire the viewer to replicate the good deeds of the figure(s) of their choice.
Note: Views expressed in the exhibition are of the artist and not Faces Up Uganda as an organization. Copyright remains to the Artist. Tap on artworks for more information. Thank you.
About The Artist
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Chadrack Bwato Makano, 21 years old, is a multi-medium artist living in Nakivale refugees settlement. With an impressive social media display of his artwork under @makano_arts, Makano is catching the eye of both critics and admirers because of his ultra hyper-realistic drawings.
With art projects covering different subjects like politics and social lifestyle, his work is shaking the Ugandan art market, one step at a time.
“ I started showing my love for art when I was 8 years old at school,” Makano says.
“In late 2018, I started doing it seriously after losing my parents.” He narrates.
He believes that society speaks and he feels like it’s his role as an artist to reply. This is actually what inspires his entire practice.
“I chose to speak through Art because it was the only way I understood the world. Whenever I read or write words, I saw images. Then I said to myself if this is the way I understand the world, I should use the same way to speak back. People will understand my language because if I can understand it, others can understand and relate with it too” – Makano
Makano, lost his parents to rebels in 2018. He hopes he can use art to vent his pains and frustrations and use it as a medium to voice his opinions and thoughts on social and topical issues. Thus make his little contribution in a big way.
“Faces Up has enabled me to preach my message of equality, liberty, hope, and Faith to many young people who need inspiration. My name Makano means intersection, so you can relate to why I am doing what I am. I want to become a bridge that will connect people” – Makano
Makano’s artwork titled PAUSE was in June 2020 nominated and awarded as the best artwork in Uganda and recognized under the POSITIVE MEMORIES exhibition in October 2021, which was organized by Faces Up Uganda at Motiv with support from African Culture Fund.
Makano hopes to become a global art icon and seeks to demonstrate to the world that someone can come out of the most marginalized communities and become an outstanding source of inspiration to others.
About The Exhibition
Since 2019, Makano has been working on a body of works titled “MIRRORS”, where he features figures that have made an impact and inspire(d) youths in Uganda and the World Over. The collection, features 2 series that is; 1) TimelessSeries and 2) MadeInUganda
In the Timeless Series, he features portraits of legends who passed on but yet their lives and legacies have continued to be of reference in the areas of their domain. The series is personal to the artist and executed all the works in his style he calls ABSTRACT POETRY, in which the artist writes the portraits instead of painting or drawing them. Each face is written with words of power, and depth to carry a certain message of advocacy to speak to power and spirits.
On the other hand, the MadeInUganda Series features people who are still alive in a hyper-realistic style with barcodes that hide the titles of the artworks. The barcodes also signify the uniqueness of each person just like how products are distinguished and recognized in a store. To make each portrait, it took the artists between 100-600 hours.
There are also 3 scalable artworks called TRINITY PUZZLED where he explores people’s Believe and Trust in SCIENCE, RELIGION, and ART.
Most of his works speak about social-political issues, he hopes that this body of works will contribute to raising awareness about matters of importance, evoke a sense of advocacy as well as inspire viewers to look into the self to find their energies/desires to create a positive impact in their areas of domain.
The title of the exhibition (Mirror) is inspired by the idea to make people see themselves in the artworks so that they can get inspired by those people and create change on their scale and make this world a better place.
Tupac once said “I can’t change the world but I can change the minds of those who can” also the artist believes that art itself can’t change the world but it can inspire change, in the minds of those who can.
We hope you enjoy the show. Thank You
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