Adonias Ocom Bio

Born 1989, Kampala, Uganda
Lives and works in Kampala, Uganda
Ocom was born in 1989 in Kireka, a high density, low income area on the outskirts of Kampala and studied art the Margaret Trowel School of Industrial and Fine Art, Makerere, (Uganda) and majored in Sculpture, Painting and Photography graduating in 2014. After graduation in 2014, he spent one year and a half as a photographer with Megapix- a local events company.
With a background in multi-media, the artist’s present work is largely a combination of the three: photography, sculpture, and painting. In his paintings, the artist works essentially with paper collage; a critical metaphor to his humble background that is characterized by the notion of recycling. Everything in these modest settlements is reused and nothing is thrown away because there’s no privilege to buy something new. Having begun his career as a portraitist, Ocom changed his approach after participating in Surface 2017 (a biannual conceptual development workshop at Afriart Gallery Kampala), which challenged him to get back to something that defines him. The paintings he produces today 'Who’s your Saint series' evoke personal struggles and challenges of his community entrenched in the political-social context of the present.
Ocom has participated in FNB Johannesburg Art Fair 2018, Kampala Art Biennale 2018, A solo Exhibition 'Who’s your Saint?' at Afriart gallery and was a top 10 finalist in the Absa L’Atelier Art Competition 2018, Johannesburg.
Lives and works in Kampala, Uganda
Ocom was born in 1989 in Kireka, a high density, low income area on the outskirts of Kampala and studied art the Margaret Trowel School of Industrial and Fine Art, Makerere, (Uganda) and majored in Sculpture, Painting and Photography graduating in 2014. After graduation in 2014, he spent one year and a half as a photographer with Megapix- a local events company.
With a background in multi-media, the artist’s present work is largely a combination of the three: photography, sculpture, and painting. In his paintings, the artist works essentially with paper collage; a critical metaphor to his humble background that is characterized by the notion of recycling. Everything in these modest settlements is reused and nothing is thrown away because there’s no privilege to buy something new. Having begun his career as a portraitist, Ocom changed his approach after participating in Surface 2017 (a biannual conceptual development workshop at Afriart Gallery Kampala), which challenged him to get back to something that defines him. The paintings he produces today 'Who’s your Saint series' evoke personal struggles and challenges of his community entrenched in the political-social context of the present.
Ocom has participated in FNB Johannesburg Art Fair 2018, Kampala Art Biennale 2018, A solo Exhibition 'Who’s your Saint?' at Afriart gallery and was a top 10 finalist in the Absa L’Atelier Art Competition 2018, Johannesburg.