10 Questions with Brunot Theophile Nseke

Brunot T. Nseke was born in Douala-Cameroon in 1983 and started painting while studying philosophy in 2003. He had some exhibition shows in his home country while teaching philosophy, then moved to Canada as a permanent resident. After a few shows in Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles in the USA, health issues had him go back to Canada and pause painting. The Monochrome Series 2023 is a secure way for him to tackle the abstract environment with the Intrications complex.

www.intrications.net

ARTIST STATEMENT

Intrications are the product of an investigation into the aesthetical and spiritual aspects of ancient symbols and scriptures. They are shapes that coalesce in a lively and harmonious structure, like sounds in a symphony. Kandinsky’s intuition of an independent abstract system has nurtured their inception as well as the subconscious transposition of drawing ornamental curves, as in the tribal African sculptures and masks.

In general, a drawing is the first step to formalize the thought in order to make it clear, structured, and articulated. A figurative shape can be used as a cover or context to construct the intricate objects. In this state, we experience proximity and intimacy with the gesture that is widely explored on the canvas.

INTERVIEW

First of all, introduce yourself to our public. Who are you, and what inspired you to embrace art? 

My name is Brunot T. Nseke, a visual artist born in Douala, Cameroon. In High school, I liked technology and geometric drawings and wanted to be an architect. In the last grade of my high school curriculum, I was introduced to philosophy, a beautiful shock! Afterward, I moved to Yaoundé to study philosophy in college. In this new environment, I started drawing while being confronted with the questions of meaning in my studies. My drawings were non-figurative; I showed some of them to my metaphysics teacher, a French monk. He gave me some names to check at the library: Kandinsky, Klee, Mondrian. I discovered the abstract Art Movement, and this triggered a series of compulsive gouaches that I made on paper. I used gouache for many years while drawing with dry ink (ballpoint pen). I sold a few gouache works to friends and the university's library where I did some shows as well. In 2008, I was selected for a young artist residency in Douala, and I moved to Acrylic on canvas. 

Your journey involves a significant cultural transition from Cameroon to Canada. How does your Cameroonian heritage influence your artistic process and the themes you choose to explore?

 At the Catholic University Chapel, there are paintings of Engelbert Mveng, a Cameroonian artist who was a priest as well. His Human shapes are quite geometric, with mask-like heads. There is also a significant amount of curved ornamentation in his work, as it is usually seen in African sculptures. This has made a strong impact on me. The patterns in traditional cloth used for various ceremonial garments were also information collected earlier. 

How has your background in philosophy influenced your artistic perspective and the themes you explore in your work?

Interesting question! Philosophy deals with the questions of 'Meaning'. We also learn that words are limited sources to express Meaning. This opened my understanding of Visual art and informed the direction to take as my research lies on the interaction of these concepts: signs, language, symbols, mind, thoughts, forms, shapes, and images.

Could you share more about your Monochrome Series and the inspiration behind it?

Thank you for asking this. It has always been an intuition and a personal challenge for me: Finding a place where you use the lesser without holding back on expressivity. The beauty and adversity of winter in Canada, loneliness, uncertainty, instability, grey spaces, all these factors have crushed something in me. With the joy of being back in painting, I realized it would be best to explore monochrome regions, which was very intimidating for me. And now I feel like I need to stay there for a moment. I show the preamble of the variations I still want to explore on my website. 

In this series, you primarily work in black and white. How do you use monochrome techniques to convey deeper layers of meaning and complexity in your artwork? 

I work on the foundation/background of the painting first; then I reflect on the motion of the Intrications in several sketches before engaging progressively on the canvas. I found that there can be many variations of grey that can support and superpose black and white. My original decision can be reconsidered during the process.   

How do you approach the interpretation and representation of ancient symbols and scriptures in your artwork?

The mind is informed of many images of symbols, shapes, and curves (as mentioned earlier in cloth and masks). Also, I have reviewed books of some ancient scriptures, for instance, the beautiful Hieroglyphic scriptures that many African thinkers have documented or the writing invention of the Bamum kingdom in Cameroon. My interest has even extended to Chinese and Arabic calligraphy sophistication. My focus is on the original act of generating the signs before they are assigned a functional meaning. Even the alphabetic signs we are using right now have an inalienable visual aspect that has been diluted by the functionality of written and spoken language. I approach the signs for what they are, unassigned by function. 

And how do you balance preserving the authenticity of these symbols with infusing your own interpretations and artistic vision?

Yes, so reviewing the information above helped build my language, the Intrications, which is an exploration of shapes in various dimensions: signs, geometric forms, symbols, space, etc. In an attempt to display these elements in a balance of its own. 

Ultimately, what messages would you like to communicate to the viewers? 

I would be happy if the viewers enjoyed what they are seeing. I am trying to communicate balance, harmony, connection, vibration, rhythm, relation, dynamism, motion.

Looking ahead, what themes or mediums are you interested in exploring in your future artistic endeavors, and how do you envision your art evolving over time?

For now, the Monochrome environment is my main area of work. Depending on my next steps, I will certainly explore various tones and movements, as I have some ideas already. Over time I would love to try any medium to express my vision of the abstract realm. 

And lastly, what is the biggest lesson you have learned from your art practice? 

Simple lines and forms can display deep emotions. Thank you for the nice questions. 

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.