Bracht paints the descent into gloom

In my estimation, Alex Bracht’s ‘Descending into Gloom’ could come with a trigger warning.

While the title of the visual artist’s latest solo exhibition, currently on display at the Namibian Arts Association, suggests things may get somewhat grim, Bracht’s black and white paintings of war, grief, despair and the moments before his protagonists ostensibly end their lives are deeply distressing.

From the red splattered ‘F*ck Your Prayers’, which lists some of America’s mass shootings dating back to the 1970s to his staring, bleeding ‘War Child’, Bracht reflects a world in which collective trauma is felt as keenly as one’s existential anguish.

Rendered primarily in sombre hues of grey, black and white, the artist’s palette speaks to the bleakness of his themes which remain vivid amidst an ever-looming threat of violence.

While some of the images may seem gratuitously upsetting and even romanticising of themes such as suicide, Bracht sees his work as a kind of protest.

“It is my way to decry the injustices that prevail, to a large extent, in our world. I am not someone who will march in the streets, wave placards and shout out in protest against what I feel is wrong in this world,” says Bracht.

“When people look at my paintings, I want them to ponder on this as well, even if it is only for a fleetingly short time,” Bracht says.

“I want the ‘regular’ people to take a moment and reflect on the fact that life in general is good and easygoing. Even though there are problems and obstacles to overcome every day, most of these problems are insignificant when compared to what struggles millions of people all over the world have to endure.”

While Bracht defines art as often beautiful, enchanting, captivating and promising, the artist also believes it can be a mirror for the soul.

“Many souls out there are dark, hateful, depressive and full of loathing and doubt,” says Bracht.

“Every person has a skeleton in their closet. Some emotion they are not willing to share, something that happened in the past, either to them or by them, an event that left some kind of scar,” says Bracht before drawing attention to Namibia’s rate of suicide.

The World Health Organisation estimates Namibia’s suicide rate to be 9,7 in every 100 000, the fourth highest on the African continent.

“With such a small population, living in a relatively well-functioning democracy, in peace not war, this is strikingly astonishing, and a pretty clear indicator that something is very wrong in our society,” Bracht says.

Though Bracht admits to intending to shock, the artist counters that his images are but a reflection.

“They are nothing but watered-down mirror images of reality itself,” he says. “Nothing is more disturbing than the reality that we have created for ourselves.”

‘Descending into Gloom’ will be on display at the Namibian Arts Association until 20 April.

– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com