The Legacy of Joe Madisia

• James JamuIn Namibia, Joe Madisia can be dubbed the godfather of the Namibian visual arts industry. His accolades and personal achievements as an artist on a global scale place him in the top tier of visionaries on the continent.

A member of African South Art Initiative (ASAI), former director of the National Art Gallery of Namibia, educator, enthusiast guitar player and mentor, at 66 he retains a magnetic, youthful energy and sturdiness to his being.

Madisia is set to travel to Ethiopia for the inaugural Addis International Arts Symposium, taking place from 16 to 26 February, in which he will be giving a master class on printmaking, courtesy of the National Arts Council and patron of the arts Alfredo Tjiurimo Hengari, special advisor of president Hage Geingob.

As a fountain of wisdom for his craft, he aims to share his acquired techniques and the significance of the aesthetics implored into cardboard printmaking.

“It’s an easy option for people from all social backgrounds to get into art and make elaborate artworks. It has been popularised in Namibia and I want to share its significance at the symposium.”

In 1983, Madisia was put under the wing of Greek artist Demetrius Spirou, who taught him his techniques. Spirou tragically passed away in a car accident in 1985 and this loss invoked a sense of responsibility in Madisia to pass on the torch to aspiring artists in Namibia.

Madisia says the new generation of artists, such as Dingalo Shinyama, Hage Nasheotwalwa and Julia Hango of BodyPositive Namibia, keep him on his toes.

Madisia has often been cited as someone in tune with his spirituality. This notion is often mirrored through the impressions garnered from his abstract work. His point of view is that of a visitor on earth that has awoken to the nauseating reality of succumbing to a rat race that need not exist at all.

“I like to bring things to life. I travelled to Dortmund in 2017 to paint a mural, which was organised in collaboration with the United Nations. Dortmund was an industrial slum and one lady came to me and told me that this mural brought life to the city. She gazes at it for inspiration regularly,” he says.

“Spirituality is personal and everyone garners their own understanding based on their life experiences. I grew up Catholic, and I have raised my children Catholic but at some point they will have to decide for themselves what they want for themselves. You can only pave a path, the rest ultimately lies on you.”

Born at Lüderitz, Madisia remembers crayfish fishing as a child with his friends, a free delicacy for him growing up. He credits his aunt, a seamstress, for provoking his inner artistic ability. He would play with scissors and textiles and make elementary art with that. When he moved to Walvis Bay in the 70s, he began strumming guitar with a band he formed with his friends, called ‘Children of Pluto’. He now resides at Mariental with his family and is engaged in livestock farming.

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