"In around February [2025] when I got back from seeing family and festive season, I came back and just wondered about the the whole situation in South Sudan, the World and thought, 'Oh! this is gonna affect most severely the innocent mothers at home trying to raise their kids like my wife, mother, siblings and all these people in the world just trying to live their lives, better'"
Bonyo
Silas (Bonslow) is a South Sudanese Artist born, raised and educated in (Northern)
Uganda. Growing up in refuge in marginalizing, grim, and uncertain conditions,
Art became his safe haven, the only place he felt truly himself, safe and
happy.
He is a promising young talent starting out his journey in the Art world, he is
passionate about painting portraits, figurative paintings, exploring and
experimenting with new processes and concepts to evolve his artistic career.
Using acrylics on canvas, African print fabrics, newspapers, collage, and with
his expert understanding of colors, creativity, and innovativeness, he creates
his unique artworks.
Upon return to his country mired in instability, in a city where cultural and
traditional lives have been altered by the effects of conflicts, despair, and
modernity, he is inspired by the way of life of the culturally rigid
cattle-oriented tribes like the Mundari, Dinka, etc., whom he now uses as his
subject to emblematize the culturally diverse and resilient people of South
Sudan.
His practice is persistent experimentation, long hours of focused work with
occasional frustrations and yet dedicated to refining his skills and work,
hence creating breathtaking art pieces that convey messages on culture and
traditions, social aspects, day-to-day experiences, and challenges. This is
evident in the evolution of his unique artworks, each serving as a testament to
the journey of a young artist in pursuit of an artistic breakthrough, daring to
venture beyond expected limits.