Meet Edgar Lushaju, the winner of this year’s John Hansard Gallery and City Eye Open Call!
Edgar Lushaju has created a personal portrait of Southampton that features his family and Southampton residents. “I wanted to create a piece that told a story of who I am,” he said, “juxtaposed with the richness of the unheard stories of people who are part of Southampton… I wanted to ignite curiosity.”
To create his design, Edgar used a combination of detailed observational drawings and conversations to depict Southampton residents, and included alongside them a Tanzanian proverb ‘Nifae kwa mvua Nikufae kwa jua kwani kidole kimoja hakivunji chawa’, which means ‘be (there) for me in the rain; I’ll be (there) for you in the sun because one finger cannot kill a louse.‘
Edgar has added two circular windows for people to simultaneously become a part of his design and look out of. He hopes this will encourage people to create a “curious, connected world inspired by art,” a world where placemaking, identity, and solidarity are integral.
View Edgar’s full design here!
