Description
“Monument for a future swimming pool in Moengo.” At the entrance of Moengo, I created a blue sculpture to commemorate a swimming pool.
In 2018, I completed a mural at the Tembe Art Studio in the CAMM 2 museum.
Then, my attention turned to the dilapidated and unused Suralco swimming pool. As an artist, my goal was to restore the pool to working order by cleaning it, installing pumps, repairing the structure, and laying new pipes. I envisioned painting a piece of art on the pool’s walls, filling it with clean water, hiring a lifeguard, and opening it for free to the community. My hope was to bring the community together and swim together in the future.
Supported by the Mondriaan Fund and the Kibii Foundation, and after discussions with members of the youth parliament, I took the initiative. Among other things, I personally freed a caiman from the water, later releasing it back into the wild.
Every day, I worked alongside many children to clean up and restore the pool. Then, the mayor prohibited me from accessing the site of the abandoned Suralco pool. Apparently, I had started work without the proper permits. We discussed it with mutual respect, and my apology was accepted. However, a necessary collaboration with the government proved impossible. The government is apparently, and hopefully, working to repair and reopen the pool. If they succeed, (and perhaps my actions played a role in putting it on the agenda), it would be wonderful. I look forward to coming back in the future—perhaps first for a mural—and then, maybe, in my swimsuit, to dive in with Antony Nesty and the many children who helped me with the work.
Afterward, I shifted my focus to creating another public artwork in Moengo: a monument for a swimming pool, the third non-functioning pool in Moengo.
