Goethe-Institut Namibia showcases unique debut exhibition in July
The Goethe-Institut Namibia is proud to announce the opening of the exhibition “Jackson Karipo: The Graduation of a Self-Taught Artist” on Thursday, 18 July at 18:00. For the first time, visitors can experience Karipo’s unique art in a solo exhibition. The exhibition will
run until 2 August 2024.
Jackson Karipo’s work was previously exhibited at the Namibian Arts Association. Since 2020, three of his paintings are displayed at Vinyls Music Café in Windhoek. He is a self-taught artist, born in Omaruru and raised in Walvisbay.
From a young age, Karipo was captivated by the act of drawing. “I collected ideas from magazines, schoolbooks, and every scrap of paper I could find”, the artist says. Carrying around only a sketchbook and samples, Karipo in his 20s spontaneously designed house numbers in Katutura — going house- to-house, making presentations to homeowners, and coming back the next day to paint the house numbers in a perfect, almost printed style. At that time, Karipo also started to create decorative art on walls.
Karipo’s journey to pursue his dreams has been challenging. The now 49-year-old father first conducted an apprenticeship at a heavy-duty company. Subsequently, he was selected for a position at a well-known car fabric company. His passion was already evident: “When there were no clients, I took out a sketchbook. I would draw a few lines or the surrounding elements in my office.”
However, sketching during work hours led to trouble, resulting in the company asking him to resign. This new direction in life led him to pursue his artistic endeavours, allowing him to work at a graphic design business.
Later, Karipo founded his own business, merging art and graphic design
Styles. Although he was getting closer to his aim, Karipo was not satisfied with his
business and artistic endeavours. When Karipo was in a worrying health condition, he had to conduct multiple clinical tests during the night.
“That night when I was sleeping with all these machines attached to me, I was asking myself: If anything happens to me, what will people say? Who was Jackson? I realized nobody was going to say: ‘Jackson was an artist.’”
Karipo was able to finally land his first solo exhibition at the Goethe-Institut Namibia. His art is mainly expressionistic and abstract work, but also includes various other styles, such as decorative art. Karipo’s style is unique, barely allowing viewers to characterize the pieces with a few words. Moreover, viewers can genuinely feel Karipo’s emotions as they dive into
his unique creations. “I hope people can draw inspiration from my story, and I hope people can see that what I'm creating is not just creation. It's years and years of hoping, years, and years of putting ideas together”, emphasises Jackson Karipo.
run until 2 August 2024.
Jackson Karipo’s work was previously exhibited at the Namibian Arts Association. Since 2020, three of his paintings are displayed at Vinyls Music Café in Windhoek. He is a self-taught artist, born in Omaruru and raised in Walvisbay.
From a young age, Karipo was captivated by the act of drawing. “I collected ideas from magazines, schoolbooks, and every scrap of paper I could find”, the artist says. Carrying around only a sketchbook and samples, Karipo in his 20s spontaneously designed house numbers in Katutura — going house- to-house, making presentations to homeowners, and coming back the next day to paint the house numbers in a perfect, almost printed style. At that time, Karipo also started to create decorative art on walls.
Karipo’s journey to pursue his dreams has been challenging. The now 49-year-old father first conducted an apprenticeship at a heavy-duty company. Subsequently, he was selected for a position at a well-known car fabric company. His passion was already evident: “When there were no clients, I took out a sketchbook. I would draw a few lines or the surrounding elements in my office.”
However, sketching during work hours led to trouble, resulting in the company asking him to resign. This new direction in life led him to pursue his artistic endeavours, allowing him to work at a graphic design business.
Later, Karipo founded his own business, merging art and graphic design
Styles. Although he was getting closer to his aim, Karipo was not satisfied with his
business and artistic endeavours. When Karipo was in a worrying health condition, he had to conduct multiple clinical tests during the night.
“That night when I was sleeping with all these machines attached to me, I was asking myself: If anything happens to me, what will people say? Who was Jackson? I realized nobody was going to say: ‘Jackson was an artist.’”
Karipo was able to finally land his first solo exhibition at the Goethe-Institut Namibia. His art is mainly expressionistic and abstract work, but also includes various other styles, such as decorative art. Karipo’s style is unique, barely allowing viewers to characterize the pieces with a few words. Moreover, viewers can genuinely feel Karipo’s emotions as they dive into
his unique creations. “I hope people can draw inspiration from my story, and I hope people can see that what I'm creating is not just creation. It's years and years of hoping, years, and years of putting ideas together”, emphasises Jackson Karipo.
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