Timothy Wandulu first discovered the artist in him after winning a painting competition oraginsed by his school while in P4 at the age of 11. With strong moral support from his mother, he was already pursuing painting seriously. Today, he is a self-taught artist who plies his trade at the Inema Arts Center, in Kacyiru. In an interview with Moses Opobo, he recapped his artistic journey. What is your artistic signature? Wandulu poses by one of his pieces made from recyclables. (Moses Opobo) I would describe myself as a self-taught abstract artist, whose style keeps revolving. What are your favorite materials? Unlike other artists who source their materials from metals and wood workshops, I collect my materials from the garbage and litter that is dumped in rubbish pits and anywhere I can find them. I use garbage, scrap and litter. Some of these are used bottles, milk sachets, tins and pieces of scrap metal. Actually I’m always looking out for anything that has been carelessly discarded after use. What inspired you to work this way? It’s the art that I personally like. Whenever I go along the street picking discarded plastic bottles, people conclude that I’m crazy. What they do not know is that I am collecting materials for my art works, from which I earn my living; but at the same time also contributing to conservation of the environment. So what is eco art all about? It’s art that rhymes with the environment. People drop water bottles carelessly after use, yet there are garbage bins all over the town. So what I do is try to make sense out of the senseless, by treasuring what people throw away. I would say it’s art that rhymes with the environment. In every piece that I do, I’m always trying to send out a particular message. Every time I walk on the street, I’m always looking out for what is right and what is not. Plastic water bottles and milk sachets are my main materials because it is easy to find them littered in the outskirts of the city and in slum areas. It could even be an airtime card lying by the street, but I’m always looking out for that something that’s not where it’s supposed to be. What is your personal motto? “I don’t always expect to be understood, but I expect to understand.” Lastly, what inspires you? Hip-hop artistes inspire me. If they feel like doing something they just do it; just like me, with my art.
