art-ist

Gina Figueira

We really won’t have anything to look at if we don’t have a different take on how we are positioned in the global community where art is concerned. N ot every artist creates art with brush and paint. Some use their artistic knowhow to create opportunities for other artists. This is the case with Gina Figueira, coowner of Start Art Gallery and daughter of famous Namibian photographer, the late Tony Figueira. Gina recently completed her Masters in gallery and museum studies through a Chevening scholarship at the prestigious University of Leeds. Together with her friend Hellen Harris, Gina uses Start Art Gallery as a platform to showcase the work of talented and skilful Namibian artists to the world.

Now back in the Land of the Brave, Gina relates how she took a hard look at the landscape of memorialisation while completing her thesis, and especially when memorials to one particular heritage infringe on another. The result isn’t always pretty, and her thesis considered the consequence of adjusting Namibia’s memorial landscape to become one that is more inclusive of a combined, shared history. For Gina, being Namibian means taking responsibility for heritage, acknowledging an oftentimes painful history, and being mindful of its after-effects.

She often ponders the question of identity and heritage. She notes that her time overseas gave her the opportunity to step out of her father’s shadow for a while, even while learning to embrace and celebrate his legacy. Dealing with his illness and subsequent passing may have put things into perspective, and Gina says that she knew he would have supported her endeavors with Start Art Gallery.

To open a gallery and then go overseas might not work for everyone, but Gina notes that she and Hellen were surprised to see how the online presence of Start turned out so successfully. A few key pieces, such as the large-scale sculpture of Africa made out of repurposed school desks by Fillipus Sheehama, were sold to international collectors. Sheehama is one of the artists represented by Start who has sold very well through the gallery’s website. In fact, says Gina, many collectors who specifically look to buy works from the African diaspora find the gallery through search engines.

By not having a physical selling space there is a lot more freedom to what she and Helen can accomplish with the gallery, Gina says. And while Helen is running the digital side from her base in America, Gina is working on partnerships with art institutions, spaces and organisations, to create opportunities to showcase more of Namibia’s immense artistic talent.

Gina Figueira

www.startartgallery.com

Nina van Zyl