Punishment & Precaution | SALAAMA ROAD FARM
By Evans Akanyijuka & Kevin Murungi
Kevin Burungi and Evans Akanyijuka approach the concept of punishment and precaution from dual directions through the fabric installation, “emboozi z’bibonerezo”, inspired by the cautionary folktales of the wily hare from Ugandan culture. Within this installation they present “Toyonoona”, an AI generated short film inspired by the guideline and precaution “Toyonoona emmele ekoolima”, which translates to “Do not spoil/waste food, it curses. While this precaution essentially advises against wasting or spoiling food, it also suggests that food itself, in any form it transitions to, remains a living organism—one capable of cursing us. “Toyonoona”, meaning both spoil and waste, highlights the increasingly alienating processes that go into the food we consume, from the genetic modification of seeds to dependence on fast food and even more literal interpretations like the mishandling of food during preparation.

Murungi Kevin is a Ugandan-based multidisciplinary artist who has been practicing for 4 years. His practice involves printing on materials, creating digital art, tapestry and fashion. With his fashion brand Afro Muru, Murungi experiments with double exposure, negative and positive space, and symbolism. Most of his work upcycles used fabrics, screen meshes, printing paste and even thread. Murungi considers himself experimental and likes pushing himself outside his comfort zone and letting his work take its own direction.

EVANS AKANYIJUKA (b. 1999) is a Ugandan visual artist working at the intersection of photography, photo manipulation, collage, and artificial intelligence in his artworks.

In his ongoing series, “Within the depths of the unrealized, lies the potential”, he challenges the tendency to dismiss what we do not fully comprehend. Within this collection, he embraces the importance of objective reasoning and the act of listening, recognizing the potency of contradictions as a means to gain deeper insight into what was once mysterious.

From this series, he has crafted a sub-series titled Symbiosis of Dreams, in which he perceives the works as dreams stemming from two distinct minds, showcasing the interplay between his imagination and that of artificial intelligence. The title “Symbiosis of Dreams” captures the idea of a harmonious co-creation between a human and AI, akin to a shared dreaming experience. These works are videos generated from the photography and collage artworks that he creates.

His work has been part of various group exhibitions, including:

• The Art of Equality exhibition at the UN headquarters in Geneva.
• Silent Invasions: The Art of Material Hacking exhibition at Amasaka Gallery, Uganda.
• Next of Kin group exhibition in Lagos.
• Epeyonon: The Homecomer at Kiggundu Art Studio in Uganda, supported by the Braid Fund.

Evans was also a resident artist at 32° East in Kampala, Uganda.