On Tuesday, our Assistant Workshop Foreman, Fatma Issa Holm, travelled to Kenya to exhibit her paintings at The National Museum of Kenya in Mombasa. But before she left, inmates participating in the prison’s MAKIS program were given a preview of their foreman’s new art project: ‘The Obama Collection’.

________________________________________________
Texst and photo: Knut-Erik Rønningen, published 20.11.08.

-I have been teaching inmates how to paint, as part of the prison’s MAKIS program, for almost 10 years now. But I have never before shown my own pictures to the inmates, comments Fatma. Through all these years I have simply shown them famous art works from leading artists. By showing them my own paintings I guess in a way I kind of lay myself wide open for criticism, but feel all the same that the time is ripe. It is easier to reach them by showing them artwork that is closer to home! Masterworks from leading artists can seem almost unattainable, adds Fatma enthusiastically. At least now they have been able to see what their own teacher has created.

A dream of change
And the degree of involvement was significant among inmates when they were challenged to interpret Fatma’s paintings. -Barack Obama is the American Dream, commented one of the inmates. –I like the paintings because they show that a dream can become reality: a change we can believe in. This is a dream of change, not only for America, but for Africa too.

Proud of Obama
-I am proud of the themes I have been able to work with and I am proud of what Obama has managed to achieve, comments Fatma. –This inspired me to make ‘The Obama Collection’. Artistically and professionally this also harmonised well with my work as teacher of painting, especially since I have used different techniques and themes. Besides, I wanted to give the inmates something meaningfull, something that can also create a hope in them for the future, she concluded.

First woman
Fatma was born in Kenya, but she has lived in Norway for almost 30 years. She was last in Kenya in 2006 to exhibit her pictures. This exhibition started at The National Museum Of Kenya in Mombasa, and has since toured several museums and galleries. She was the first female artist from the Swahili culture to have been presented with her own separate exhibition.

View all the paintings here.

Related links:

Fatma Issa Holm’s home page.

Creative activity for inmates.

MAKIS stands for.

Fatma between two of her painting students.
Many of her colleagues also visited the preview to inspect Fatma’s
paintings.
In spite of the fact that Fatma has lived in Norway for almost 30
years, she is more known in Kenya. This picture is from an exhibition
she held there in 2006.