Bacchus and Boda Boda

Richard Ketley

Inspired by his travels to various Africa cities, Richard Ketley’s latest body of work is a continued response to the vibrant and salubrious life of these cities.

The title "Bacchus and Boda Boda" blends together a classical, western, mythological figure with a uniquely African element: Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and festivities, and boda-boda, a Ugandan term describing the ubiquitous motorbike taxis, a common feature throughout Africa. The two symbols blend to capture a sense of the boisterous nightlife and youthful energy of African cities, contrasting with the widely held idea of the African city as a scene of poverty and alienation.

Ketley's works are rendered in oil and charcoal on translucent mediums, which allow the drawing to remain within the painting.

For me drawing is rather like my presence in the cities I capture; a rough and immediate and intermediary means of expressing – a flick of the hand, an instance, and observation of a line or movement, the visual equivalence of the sudden clatter of a bottle knocked over against the background of laughter.

The painting, on the other hand, captures the sonorous moments of such evenings, interspersed with the clutter of horns and boda-bodas racing through the streets.  - Richard Ketley

Preview works here

Exhibition Open Daily

Tuesdays to Friday: 10am- 5pm

Saturday: 10am - 1pm. 

Monday, Sunday and Public Holidays closed.