In 2016, Shemsa Neza, ventured into art, a talent she knew she had from a young age. Since then she has been using her talent to bring about social change. She had a chat with Sharon Kantengwa about her work and plans for her career.
How did you become a visual artist? Is there a particular experience that drove you to this choice?
Looking back to my journey as an artist, I like to think that I always had it in me. All I needed was that wake up call to realise that I can truly do it.
As a kid I grew up seeing my elder brother sketch in his notebooks, which I also liked to do in school, drawing for other kids in their notebooks, but as I became older, life caught up with me and I kind of diverted to other things. But deep down I kept admiring art, I visited art centres and galleries, searched the internet and my passion for art grew. The end of 2016 is when I got a pencil and a paper and sketched again. From then to date, I have never stopped.

What was your first work of art that really mattered to you?
It is really hard to mention just one piece because every piece has its own story and they all matter. But to mention one, there is this art work I did in 2018 titled “Highs and Lows” that touched me in a way. In this life, we all have our highs and our lows and perhaps without the lows the highs can not be reached. What I find most important is to know how to balance these two, not to let the lows break you, and also remember where you came from when you are on your highs.
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