art-ist

Art Walk in Swakopmund

It’s a bright winter’s day below the jolly red and white lighthouse that watches over Swakopmund’s buzzy town centre, and a smiling passerby in a forest green T-shirt offers me some sassy, lip-pouting advice.

“Take a selfie!”

Not a bad idea, given the light and the scene from my regular Friday perch on Slowtown’s street-facing solo seats, but the suggestion blows away on the breeze as Elijah, the best of baristas, hands me a cappuccino literally with my name on it and I geek out in unbridled delight.

“Martha,” says the coffee in frothy brown and white foam. And for the umpteenth time since my plague-fuelled escape from the city, I grin because, suddenly and with an endearing flourish, the coast sort of feels like home.

On the agenda for the afternoon is my favourite kind of Covid-era solo date – coffee and canvases.

For beginners, the itinerary is pretty simple. Fuel up on caffeine somewhere sunny and socially distant and then meander down the street ducking into anywhere that even vaguely promises a glimpse of the good stuff.

For beginners, the itinerary is pretty simple. Fuel up on caffeine somewhere sunny and socially distant and then meander down the street ducking into anywhere that even vaguely promises a glimpse of the good stuff.

For beginners, the itinerary is pretty simple. Fuel up on caffeine somewhere sunny and socially distant and then meander down the street ducking into anywhere that even vaguely promises a glimpse of the good stuff.Swakopmund, if you yet have to discover this, is a place positively boasting with great galleries and an art walk at the coastal town can be a no fuss matter of strolling down Tobias Hainyeko Street and around the Brauhaus Arcade.

Just a few metres heading left from my regular coffee corner, a heavy metal gate is pulled open to reveal an old friend.

Photographer Johan Nieuwoudt - who I probably last saw jumping into a pool in full school uniform to commemorate our graduation from Oranjemund Private School - has grown up to own a hot-air balloon company, be a kindred world traveller, an incredible photographer and to gawk at me similarly 20 years older.

Photographer Johan Nieuwoudt

Though the pandemic has resulted in Johan needing to close his current shop and relocate to Mirror Mirror (right next to Slowtown. Isn’t everything?), his beautiful collection of travel photography and soulful portraits from as far as Cambodia, Hong Kong and Vietnam are certainly worth viewing at the new location.

Leaving my old pal after an exciting catch-up, my next stop is Art Stop which is a gallery and art supply store. Inside, budding artist and store supervisor Jerry Katambo is happy to give me a quick tour and point out some of his favourite pieces amidst a wealth of multifarious continental artists.

Jerry Katambo

Jerry’s story echoes Johan’s in that he admits to having seen better days. The lack of tourists has been a hard knock but he is determined to see the other side of the pandemic which will surely bring crowds eager to cherish art and life and galleries.

Across the way at the vibrant Artists’ Arcade, the sentiments of a friendly trio named Wellington, Elton and Judith, are about the same. As I watch the artists work and we share stories about this strange moment in time, some tourists trickle in and I stand off to the side so as not to impede any sales.

Wellington, Elton and Judith will make whatever you want with what they have, which includes paint, canvases, beads, wire, driftwood and even corn husks. From these humble materials, it’s incredible to see the possibilities of jewellery, pen holders, mobiles, décor and art and I leave thinking theirs is a story I would like to write a little more about.

Artwork by Lawrence Nyemba

To end my art walk and a tad further afield than I had planned, I find myself up a flight of stairs and in the Woermannhaus Gallery where artist Anne Lacheiner- Kuhn exhibits alongside the !Ikhoba Project.

Anne Lacheiner-Kuhn

Artwork by Anne Lacheiner-Kuhn

Artwork by Anne Lacheiner-Kuhn

As ever, Anne’s cosmic collages beckon you to another realm. Yet, it’s strange to realise that, even in all their wild juxtapositions and creative characters, Anne’s imaginary worlds aren’t half as surreal as the current one. Pandemicridden, socially distant and only bearable for the small bursts of joy found in precious moments with family, anxious hours with friends or seeking art solo on a Swakopmund street.

Martha Mukaiwa is a columnist and writer based in Windhoek, Namibia, in between short, spirited sojourns around the world. Her narrative nonfiction, personal essays, travel writing and short stories have appeared in Travel Africa, Quartz, Fields & Stations, Holiday, The Africa Report, Truthdig, Matador Network, Africa is a Country, The Mail & Guardian, The Namibian & The Kalahari Review. Martha is an honorary writing fellow at the University of Iowa. Read more at marthamukaiwa.com.