TAKE 5: Mal Muga

Mal Muga is a photographer, producer and creative director. PHOTO| COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • As far as creative direction goes, it was ‘Billow’ (working title). This was a project by Silas Miami.
  • It really challenged me in the sense of handing over the lens (Silas was the photographer) but at the same time marrying my vision with that of other great creative minds. This made me realise that I was good too.
  • In film, as a producer, it would have to be a little passion project by Awuor Onyango called ‘The Price Of Our Freedom’. We had no budget for this, and I was still very green in the field of production.

Mal Muga is a photographer, producer and creative director with a keen eye for aesthetics and a desire to explore the human condition through experimental portraiture. His images reveal that he is inspired by various cultural practices, including mythology and mysticism.

He seeks to make visual commentary on the lives we lead publicly, privately, physically, mentally, spiritually and in fantasy.

 

You describe yourself in many ways, all of them creative: what are some of your favourite productions?

It is difficult to pin point a single production that I am partial to. There have been a few that were really amazing to be part of though, and which involved some amazing people. When it comes to photography, one of my favourite may have been ‘Moon child’.

I got to work with the amazing Jo Kisila as my model and the late great Solomon Ichahuria as my make-up artist. They came through for me in a big way and were more than ready to interpret my abstract and erratic vision.

As far as creative direction goes, it was ‘Billow’ (working title). This was a project by Silas Miami. It really challenged me in the sense of handing over the lens (Silas was the photographer) but at the same time marrying my vision with that of other great creative minds. This made me realise that I was good too. In film, as a producer, it would have to be a little passion project by Awuor Onyango called ‘The Price Of Our Freedom’. We had no budget for this, and I was still very green in the field of production. We had many friends come through to bring it to life (even though we are still workshopping how to release it due to an unforeseen challenge). It was an intense emotional project because it was based on real stories of very real people who survived a traumatic ordeal.

 

You will be travelling to Germany this year to showcase your work. Tell us a bit about this.

Thanks to the work of a collective of brilliant artists, I will be going to Germany, yes. We did an exhibition on inclusion, to celebrate love, to make a marginalised people feel included and wanted. This happened last year in May at the Goethe Institute.

It was the To Revolutionary Type Love project (TRTL). As far as how the trip came along, I guess someone saw the exhibition and thought it would be great to have it in Germany and voilà! Here we are. I am fortunate to be one of the people going to represent the collective and I am honoured to be representing such brilliant artists. I hope this will be the beginning of what will grow to be a diverse and fulfilling career for me.

 

Do you think it is harder for artists to come into their own than say, bankers and other in more highly regarded careers? When did you decided to become an artist?

I wouldn’t say it is harder for artists to get their footing. If anything, we are the lucky ones who get to channel whatever we want, however we want, and are allowed to express ourselves with the only limitation being our imagination.

That said, it is more difficult for us to find our place and to find monetary success. I guess I have always loved the arts. It started with music and painting (I don’t do those any more) in my teens, and it kept growing and evolving. It still is.

The journey has not been easy though. Sometimes I fear I made the wrong choice - I could have done medicine, architecture or even law because my grades allowed it. I however keep coming back to how much I love doing what I do and the idea that there is no real limit to my success – this is what keeps me going.

 

Whose work do you admire in Kenya right now, in and outside of your chosen field?

This is such a difficult question to answer. There are so many amazing creatives in Kenya and they are sprouting out of the ground and nourishing our cultural landscape by the dozens. I love it. If I had to mention a few, I would start with Jim Chuchu. I really love his aesthetic, it always leaves me feeling warm inside. I really enjoy his film work and photography.

I am also really loving Joseph Nabster Chege’s work. His vibe is so clean and his images make me feel like there is so much freedom and openness in them.

I couldn’t mention fashion in this country without mentioning Sunny Dolat. I don’t even think I need to explain why I admire his work. I could go on and on but I shall leave it there.

 

What do you think stops creatives in Kenya from soaring even higher?

There are of course the obvious struggles that we all have to face. I think, although it is gradually changing, the society still does not view what we do as a career.

We are still told, “Oh, that’s a great hobby, but what do you do for work?” If only they knew the processes we have to go through. I could be lying in bed for a week straight but what is going on in my mind is as exhausting as what the bank teller who has to service hundreds of customers a day goes through.

Our clients often try to pay us as little as possible when they are not trying to peddle exposure as currency. If you approached me due to the work that I do, do I really need your exposure? I think not! Also, lack of organised societies, and regulatory bodies and representation in this sector has been a major shortcoming. As far as holding ourselves back I can only speak for me. Fear is one of my greatest obstacles, and it comes in all shapes, sizes and forms.

I am scared of not being good enough, not making enough money, not being where I think I should be, rejection, letting the people counting on me down…my worst fear is the fear of success because it is so hard to recognise, however, they do say that good art comes from a place of crippling self-doubt and extreme narcissism.