By Kathryn Kelman/editor-in-chief

Local artist’s first solo exhibition in Texas opens

Gerald Mushumbusi’s first solo exhibition in Texas is on display in SE’s Art Corridor II and features an array of paintings, prints and other various mediums from the artist known as MOOSH.

“My goal is to take complex ideas of spirituality, sacred geometry, and all those things, and break down and simplify the unseen geometric world to where a kid can understand it or relate to it,” MOOSH said.

He uses almost exclusively primary colors like red, blue and yellow to create works that are “transparent” and accessible to all.

This exhibit is something he’s spent his life crafting through personal experiences and research.

“My life is 99 percent research and one percent painting,” he said. “There is a story behind each work.”

Born in 1989 in Jinja, Uganda, MOOSH experienced tragedy at a young age when he lost his father to AIDS and soon after was separated from his mother when she, too, fell ill. That’s when art came into his life.

He was eventually reunited with his mother in New York at 13 years old when he migrated to the U.S. and became fascinated with street art and the life and work of Keith Haring.

Mother nature is another source of inspiration as much of MOOSH’s work features female figures, which he said stems from the notion of fertility and the origin of life.

“I’m obsessed with history and lore, but history is boring, so I’m trying to figure out a way to talk about creation from a Biblical perspective, from the Big Bang perspective, from the Buddhist perspective, from the Hindu perspective, all of that in one photo,” MOOSH said.

In addition to his paintings and prints in the exhibit, MOOSH explores a number of mediums from clothes to furniture, videos and music.

The multi-medium artist said he hopes his exhibit inspires students to think bigger.

For example, the outfit he wore to the exhibitions opening Sept. 13 was a suit made out of one of his works to show students different ways to make their art more accessible.

“I didn’t have someone to guide me and show me what I could do with my art, so I wanted to do that for them,” he said. “You can make clothes, you can make T-shirts, you can make books, and it’s not selling out. It’s you being more accessible because most people can’t afford a $200 painting.”

MOOSH’s work is on display during campus hours now through Oct. 26 in Art Corridor II on SE. For more information, contact Christopher Blay at christopher.blay@tccd.edu or 817-515-3405.