Spoken Art exhibition: Where paintings speak louder than words

Spoken Art exhibition showcases the work of Victor Sitali, a promising young man from Zambia who is determined to speak up his mind and cross the barriers of his hearing impairment condition.
Sitali was born in 1990 in Lusaka, Zambia where he lived till he joined his family and relocated to Dubai in 2006. At the age of two, a fever gradually left Sitali hearing impaired. Sitali is multi-talented and performed well in Munali (a special school for the deaf) where he achieved a Junior High Certificate. In 2006, he joined his parents in Dubai, and on finding there were no special schools to study further he joined Dubai Center for Special Needs and then joined Mawaheb, which is an art studio for adults with special needs. As it turns out, it was the right thing to do; a flare of hope was reborn to explore his hidden talents.
Victor joined Mawaheb in 2011 and under the expertise of founder Wemmy de Maaker and skilled supervision and special mentorship of Gulshan Kavarana this young lad soon developed into a confident young man with promising signs of an emerging artist.
Arab News interviewed Sitali with the help of his brother Brayan who translated the sign language used by Sitali.
On how it all started, he says: “I joined Mawaheb in November 2011 and started with acrylic color. However, Gulshan who is my supervisor saw how I quickly caught on to it, and with me being disabled she realized that I am actually talented at this.” He adds:” Gulshan continued to teach me and guide me through and progression grew from that point onwards.”
Sitali learned oil painting in the UK under a well-known UK based artist Trevor Waugh. This opportunity was created through Mawaheb as the studio only offered acrylic classes but nevertheless realized how important it is for an artist to master both acrylic and oil painting.
Trevor also specializes in teaching art to both beginners as well as professionals. He recognized Victor’s talent and enthusiasm and agreed to accept him as a student in his studio in London. With the continuous support of the Mawaheb team and Sitali’s hard work, four commissioned art works were sold and the trip became possible.
“Although my background is not exactly artistic, I was in the loop of creation and color. Due to the lack of a hearing impaired division in the Dubai center, my family sent me back to Africa to be trained as a qualified chef in Cape Town. When I got back to Dubai after finishing my cooking course, and while I was trying to get a job as a chef, I joined Mawaheb and discovered my great interest in painting that totally changed my career path before it even began.”
On his reflection over Spoken Art, which is his first solo exhibition, Sitali says: “I feel so proud and I have so many future plans. I intend to learn how to use graphic design to mix my painting skills with the new graphic technique.”
When discussing the subjects of the artist’s paintings and where it is derived from, Sitali explains: “It is more of what I feel like. I choose to paint legendary characters like Lincoln or Bob Marley, which I believe that people can relate to. Sometimes, after watching a movie, I feel inspired to draw the main character; it really depends on my mood and how I feel from the inside.”
Commenting on his exhibition, the artist said: “A voice can be heard not only by sound, but through the work of hands.”
“It’s worth mentioning that the exhibition is hosted, organized and supervised by Art Couture — a gallery that was founded in 2007 and reflects the vibrancy and growth of the 21st century Dubai and is inspired by the Emirate’s reputation as a cosmopolitan hub. Art Couture is located at Al-Badia Golf Club, InterContinental, Dubai Festival City.
The Spoken Art exhibition of Sitali’s vivid oil and watercolor portraits opened its doors on Aug. 24 and will continue until Sept. 7.