The Goethe-Institut Namibia is proud to announce the opening of the exhibition “Jackson Karipo: The Graduation of a Self-Taught Artist” on Thursday, 18 July at 18:00. For the first time, visitors can experience Karipo’s unique art in a solo exhibition. The exhibition will run until 2 August 2024.
Jackson Karipo’s work was previously exhibited at the Namibian Arts Association. Since 2020, three of his paintings are displayed at Vinyls Music Café in Windhoek. He is a self-taught artist, born in Omaruru and raised in Walvisbay.
From a young age, Karipo was captivated by the act of drawing. “I collected ideas from magazines, schoolbooks, and every scrap of paper I could find”, the artist says. Carrying around only a sketchbook and samples, Karipo in his 20s spontaneously designed house numbers in Katutura — going house- to-house, making presentations to homeowners, and coming back the next day to paint the house numbers in a perfect, almost printed style.
At that time, Karipo also started to create decorative art on walls. Karipo’s journey to pursue his dreams has been challenging. The now 49-year-old father first conducted an apprenticeship at a heavy-duty company.
Subsequently, he was selected for a position at a well-known car fabric company. His passion was already evident: “When there were no clients, I took out a sketchbook. I would draw a few lines or the surrounding elements in my office.
” However, sketching during work hours led to trouble, resultin.