Rising Stars: Daniel Atenyi

Biography

Wandaalo Atenyi Daniel is a Ugandan born artist that uses charcoal on paper to create surrealist monochromatic portraiture. Daniel uses extravagant contrasts and assertive forms that create counter-narratives to the visual representations of the spiritual form through histories.

He creates depictions of characters that are a mix of realism & surrealism rooted in African spiritual mythology; to critique consequences of the constantly evolving human trends. He achieves this by cutting pathways through the conventional social construct, leading into dimensions conjured from the present.

Daniel has always been captivated by indigenous lifestyles since his childhood and has had a thirst to learn about the ways of life that predate modernization. This is evident in his drawings, with characters adorned with tribal body pigments, wooden ear disks, and marks of scarification.

Statement

By building within symbolism and maintaining a subtle sense of realism, I create drawings that capture representations of lifestyles and experiences from a journey through time. In many instances, the studies are comparisons between a very real world we live in, and surrealistic realms hidden beneath what we see in the physical. Inspiration for these elements is deeply rooted in indigenous cultural practices and beauty, manifesting in visual representations of spirituality.

It has always been a conscious decision to use charcoal and maintain a recurring monochromatic theme in the drawings I create. I see it as a symbolic affirmation that we are of singular spiritual substance, representing the higher self in the most modest and most basic form with no alteration from any other physical/visual qualities.

The faceless creatures and compositions in the drawings are a mindful way of representing a singular casual mind of a human being, a deliberate effort to keep every single drawing completely accessible and relatable to any single person regardless of one’s state of mind or spiritual belief. The neutrality of many elements in the drawings I create is a thoughtful act to keep the window into that portal of expression open to interpretation for all.

Dissolution, 2021
Charcoal on paper, 89cm(w) x 96cm(h)

Separation, 2022
Charcoal on paper, 119cm(w) x 89cm(h)

Obscurity, 2022
Charcoal on paper, (w)63cm x (h)89cm;

Listener, 2022
Charcoal on paper 89cm(w) x 119cm(h)

For more information about the artist, please visit:

Instagram: @danielatenyi

All photographs courtesy of Daniel Atenyi
© Copyright 2023 Suboart Magazine
All rights reserved

***

Do you like Suboart Magazine? Subscribe to our email list to receive monthly news on opportunities, interviews & features.

Discover more emerging artists

Rising Stars: Natalie Tyler

Do you like embroidery, patterns and colours? Then today’s “Rising Star” migh as well be one of your next favourite artists. Inspired by everyday life,…

All Eyes On: Elizabeth Marmur

Inspired by the wonders of nature, both universal and human, Elizabeth Murmur’s work is an ongoing exploration of the human condition. In today’s “All Eyes…

All Eyes On: Link Hg

Italian artist Nicolò LinkHg Andreatta works with the concept of abandonment, trying to bring order to disused places through his graffiti interventions. In today’s “All…

Rising Stars: Tiziano Summo

Through his distinctive installations, Italian artist Tiziano Summo dares to speak about a topic feared and ignored by many of us: death. In today’s edition…

Rising Stars: Dheeraj Kumar aka. Silentstoryteller

Trained Fashion Designer, photographer and artist Dheeraj Kumar aspires to define his personal approach towards life through his lens. In today’s “Rising Stars” we showacase…

Loading…

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.