It’s the last chance to see some of these exhibitions and some are newly opened. Have a look at what’s on in the Nairobi art world.
Echoes of Khartoum – Sudanese Artists in Nairobi
Follow Their News 3 by Mujahid Alhadi
Opening reception Wednesday 03 July from 5pm. Exhibition ongoing through August.
Since the conflict in Sudan has begun, a number of artists who were working in the once thriving art scene in Khartoum have fled and re-settled here in Nairobi. This exhibition presents 6 of those artists, working in varying styles and mediums.
Under the Swahili Tree, Marula Lane, Karen
William Wambugu | Solo Exhibition
Opening reception: 2nd June 2024 from 10.00am to 5.00pm. Exhibition continues until 14 July.
In these large scale paper works Wambugu uses black ink mixed with dark coloured hues and occasionally collages, creating delicate lines and a variability of geometric forms. Veterinary surgical instruments hyper-realistically drawn, dark black, floating over large sharp white, glaring paper. Shades of figures emerging out of the geometric background. His exceptional pen brings the viewer to notice incredible details of his objects. His works are delicate and simple and simultaneously have strength and originality.
Red Hill Art Gallery, Gatatha Rd., Red Hill
The Mute Poet | The Body & the Self
Until 11 July
The artist uses abstract figures to go beyond the conditioning of how we see each other’s bodies. This enables them to understand the depth of the body and the self beyond a conditioned mind.
Munyu Space, Basement, The Mall, Westlands
Edwin Jongo | Between the Lines
Until 03 July
Jongo’s work primarily explores the lifestyle of the common mwananchi (ordinary citizen), utilising unique materials such as used cutting and grinding discs, and thin piping cord. These materials are intricately arranged on canvas to create figures with geometric features, giving his art a distinctive and modern edge.
Paul Kintu | Similar Values
Exhibition opens 06 July, continues until 31 July
This exhibiton showcases Kintu’s captivating series featuring small figures set against a backdrop of vibrant, multicoloured roller and palette knife strokes. This series conveys a powerful message: no matter how small someone or something may seem, they possess the potential to achieve greatness and should never be underestimated.
Banana Hill Art Gallery, Banana Raina Rd, Banana Hill
LIFE SIZED ART EXHIBTION | Jennifer Msekwa, Felista Gatwiri, Reson Njeri, Mokeria Gitamo
Mifumo ya Kurithi by Jennifer Msekwa
Until July 31st.
Ardhi’s Mentorship program, in collaboration with Peter Elungat, kicks off this life-sized art exhibition. The two-week accelerator program will focus on various cohorts of female emerging artists entering the program and exhibiting monthly solo shows.
Parallel Four Hostels Building, Entrance through Adreno’s Bistro, Ole-Sangale Link Rd.
TABITHA WA THUKU | Solo Exhibition
Exhibition continues until 14 July.
In the 35 or so years of her artistic career, Tabitha Wa Thuku has been journeying homewards. In different places and spaces, she has explored notions of home and belonging; to people, to herself and to the land. These seasons, as she calls them, come together to paint a rich tapestry of her life, and all the things she has seen and done on her odyssey.
Circle Art Gallery, Victoria Square, Riara Road
Massage Spa | Michael Soi + Impressions of East Africa | Milena Eleonora Tys
Until 21 July
Michael Soi’s vintage painting exhibitions; always funny, sometimes shocking, often raunchy and inevitably tongue-in-cheek, Soi’s paintings always evoke discussion and debate. ‘Massage Spa‘ features two new series along with some old favourites.
Milena Eleonora Tys exhibits a selection of her ‘Impressions of East Africa’, her architectural training apparent in her meticulous rendition of buildings and the landscape, along with her adherence to a classical painting technique.
One-Off Contemporary Art Gallery, Rosslyn Lone Tree
Window Where No Light Goes | Joachim Kwaru
Until 13 July
Curated by Rose Jepkorir, the subjects of Nairobi artist Kwaru’s work revolve around day-to-day life offerings, questioning the value propositions in art practices and how or when meaning is embedded in artwork.
The African Arts Trust, Victoria Square, Riara Road
Colors of a Painter | Santana Sino, featuring 𝐹𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑎ℎ 𝐼𝑗𝑎𝑖, 𝐸𝑑𝑔𝑎𝑟 𝐾𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑎, 𝐻𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑡 𝑇𝑜𝑛𝑢𝑖, 𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑒 𝑂𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑎, 𝑆𝑎𝑚𝑚𝑦 𝑀𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑢𝑟𝑖, 𝐶𝑅𝐴𝐸 & 𝐷𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑀𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑖
Until 10 August
A concept exhibition based on poems by 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐨 a visual artist and Poet based in Nairobi. Together with 6 other visual artist Santana illuminates a series of work he has been working on for 3 years focusing on issues like Self-Identity, Self-Acceptance, Rejection and Love.
HoF Gallery in the Kibera Arts District, Kibera
OLIDDE MUPIPA | Xenson
Untitled Series – Xenson 2019
Until 13 July
Xenson (Samson Ssenkaaba, b. 1978) is a Kampala-based multimedia artist. ‘Olidde mupipa’ (Luganda) is an idiomatic expression that translates to ‘you have eaten from the barrel (the dustbin)’. The phrase implies that one has arrived too late for something, that they have to make do with leftovers. More specifically, the expression refers to the steel drums, which are often sold and repurposed. In his practice, Xenson has adopted these steel barrels, and their offshoots, as a support for painting and as building blocks for the sculptures and installations that make up this exhibition.
NCAI (Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute), Rosslyn Riviera