The second of two pieces executed by Ssuuna on the subject of distraction, this work portrays young adults at home whose attention has been captured by something the viewer can’t see. Whatever it is, the matter is interesting enough that the two figures are slowly losing their body shapes. Yet again, we see Ssuuna’s rare ability, for an untrained artist, to render mass in a distinct visual language. Ssuuna, a planning officer with the local government in the central Ugandan district of Masaka, never went to art school, which explains his freedom as a painter. Because he is not burdened by the formalism of those familiar with art historical isms, he is able to create pictures with a brilliance to take your breath away. He told the collector that he is the only Ugandan artist who incorporates loofah (natural sponge locally known as kyangu) in his paintings.
