OPENING SOON
60 Years – The NCAI Collection
Image: Fabian Mpagi, Untitled (Portrait of the artist’s mother and younger brother), 1977
Opening Saturday 10 August from 2pm | Continues until 14 September
Since its establishment, NCAI has assembled a collection of artworks that spans six decades and encompasses a diverse range of artistic expressions from the region. “60 Years” will feature selected modern and contemporary works from this collection by artists from Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, offering a nuanced exploration of East Africa’s cultural and artistic evolution.
The exhibition title, “60 Years,” speaks to the temporal scope of the artworks and reflects NCAI’s commitment to chronicling the dynamic history of art-making in East Africa. Featured artists include modern masters such as Afewerk Tekle, Theresa Musoke, Pilkington Ssengendo, and Ancent Soi, alongside contemporary artists like Syowia Kyambi, Richard Kimathi, Peterson Kamwathi, and Chemu Ng’ok. The exhibition will highlight seminal pieces that mark key movements in East African art history and contemporary works that engage with current socio-political themes. Some works mark key moments in the evolution of particular artists’ practices, and collectively, the selected works contribute towards a narrative of modern and contemporary art that is reflective and forward-thinking.
Nairobi Contemporary Arts Institute (NCAI), Rosslyn Riviera Mall, Limuru Rd.
The Spirit of Colours | Nega Yilma
In the Garden by Nega Yilma
Opening Saturday 10 August | Continues until 3 September
“The Spirit of Colours” is a showcase of Nega Yilma’s dynamic and expressive use of colour. Through his bold, vibrant hues and intricate compositions, Yilma captures the essence of Ethiopian life, traditions, and landscapes. Each piece in this exhibition offers a glimpse into the heart and soul of Ethiopia, presenting a visual symphony that is both timeless and innovative.
Nega Yilma is a celebrated Ethiopian artist known for his distinctive style and powerful use of colour. His artistic journey has taken him across the globe, with his works exhibited in numerous international galleries. Yilma’s art is deeply rooted in his cultural heritage, blending traditional Ethiopian motifs with contemporary techniques to create pieces that resonate with audiences worldwide.
Banana Hill Art Gallery, Banana Hill
Becoming | Samuel Muriithi
Opening Saturday 10 August
“Becoming” is an exploration of the precious things that make us who we are. In this body of work,Muriithi, draws inspiration from his childhood.His grandmother’s tales of birds playing the roles of messangers and eavesdroppers slip into his paintings. Depicting them as a representation of us.This pairing of birds with still life creates symbolism that allows him depict delicate moments. A moment like the conception and pursuit of a dream, contrasted with the aloofness of youth as depicted above. The work exhibited also eccentuates the theme by highlighting the transition of the artist’s work over time.Leaving tracable lines between the past and the present.
NEW EXHIBITIONS
DANCE TO THE RHYTHM OF MY SOUL | Oh Myung Hee, Prina Shah and Nadia Wamunyu
Body Double – 2024 by Nadia Wamunyu
Until 31 August
Celebrating the 60 years of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Kenya, the collaboration of internationally acclaimed artists promises to bring a diverse and insightful perspective . The works, which transcend cultural boundaries, offer a rich tapestry of personal, collective, and cultural memories. It’s exciting to see how we will weave together the shared cultural experiences of Asia and Africa in such a profound way. The theme of ‘Nowness’ explores contemporary identity from a female perspective in a unique and powerful manner. The historical parallels between Kenya and Korea overcoming colonization by the British and Japanese, respectively, add a deep layer of meaning to the exhibition. Curated by @metamorphosisartprojects UK.
CHARLES SEKANO – 1943 – 2024 | in memoriam
Until 8 September
Charles Sekano was born in Sophia Town, Johannesburg in 1943, his youth overshadowed by apartheid. It was in Nairobi in the 1960s, amid the isolation of exile, that Sekano forged himself into both a self-taught artist and a musician – and where he worked as a jazz pianist in the multiracial bars and nightclubs.
His artistic expression was and is informed by the sense of loss experienced after his family was uprooted and by the resultant severing of family bonds. Women – those that he immortalises in his works – became his world and his artistic language. During his years of exile in Nairobi, Sekano waged his own passionate war against the Apartheid regime with paintbrush and crayon. For him, colour itself began to symbolise freedom.
Whilst influences of Picasso, Braque’s Cubism, Toulouse-Lautrec and Henri Rousseau’s poster art are clear in his work, Sekano has always rooted himself in the realities of cosmopolitan urban Africa. The nightclubs and bars of Kenya, with their female clientele from diverse cultures across Africa, were his subject matter and remain his inspiration. Sekano is never moralistic, always humanistic – his works celebrate and preserve moments.
Charles Sekano has exhibited widely in Kenya, Holland, Germany, Japan and the US. His works are in private collections across the world and in various museums, including the Völkerkunde Museum in Frankfurt, Germany, and the Peabody Essex Museum, in Massachusetts, USA. (Source: Ed Cross, London, UK)
Red Hill Art Gallery, off St. Julian’s Road, Gatatha Rd, Red Hill.
Reflections of Resilience | From the collection of Wilson Kimunya
A collector’s choice exhibition showcasing works from the collection of Wilson Kimunya, an enthusiastic art collector. Over the years, Kimunya has collected hundreds of art pieces from emerging, upcoming, and established artists. This show reflects a period in Kimunya’s life when he collected art to convey his own feelings of hope and resilience. Additionally, there will be an auction on 17 August at 2pm with selected works from the collection, including works by Boniface Maina, Peter Elungat, Solomon Luvai, George Gray, Ronny Enos and Onesmus Okamar.
Read more about this exhibition in our article
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS
Colors of a Painter | Santana Sino, featuring 𝐹𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑎ℎ 𝐼𝑗𝑎𝑖, 𝐸𝑑𝑔𝑎𝑟 𝐾𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑎, 𝐻𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑡 𝑇𝑜𝑛𝑢𝑖, 𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑒 𝑂𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑎, 𝑆𝑎𝑚𝑚𝑦 𝑀𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑢𝑟𝑖, 𝐶𝑅𝐴𝐸 & 𝐷𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑀𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑖
EXTENDED THROUGH 31 AUGUST
There are few more days to see this 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
Res(e)t – الإعادة: An Exhibition of 21 Multidisciplinary Sudanese artists | Rest Residency in collaboration with Circle Art Gallery
Photo by Faiz Abubakr
Until 23 August 2024
The inauguration events of the Rest Residency have finished, but the exhibition continues for a few more weeks.
The Rest Residency is a consultation space for artists and cultural activists who fled the war in Sudan and arrived in Kenya, 21 Sudanese artists from the fields of painting, photography, filmmaking, design and music joined the residency program as both a family in remote and a space where their sense of responsibility towards the situation in Sudan can be expressed. They used the previous six months to work collectively and individually on artistic projects that express their personal views on the situation and what they have gone through, along with studying ways to create impact and preserve their narrative of history.
“With the ongoing mass displacements of over 11 millions and the risk of famine in 14 areas of Sudan, this exhibition represents an outcry from Sudan’s cultural sector to the waring parties to rest the guns and to stop the war immediately.” curator and director Rahiem Shadad
Circle Art Gallery | Victoria Square, Riara Rd.
Echoes of Khartoum – Sudanese Artists in Nairobi
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: Musbah Mohamed, Mohamed Ahmed Almahdi, Waddah Hatim Abd Algader | Mohammed Esam, Mujahid Alhadi and Mohamed Morda, working in varying styles and mediums.
Under the Swahili Tree, Marula Lane, Karen
Fool Me Once | Natocho Faith feat. Kui.sun
Until 22 August
Natocho Faith: “People generally trust that perception reflects objective reality and worry that this reliability is compromised if what we see is influenced by what we know or expect. While human perception is often consistent and stable, evaluating its reliability is challenging because it’s unclear how to establish the actual facts of perception”
Kui.son: ”…This is an art from where beads and bones are intricately inter-twinned together, around a string through a series of hand- made knots and ties. The Mothers of a Community would sit all-together creating these pieces, and speak a blessing into the Life of the one to whom she will gift it to. This makes for a more potently charged piece of Jewelry, where with every KNOT there is the trans-mutated Life. Force of the Maker. And, the aesthetic gives a really curious finish, with each bead, and bone knitted permanently in place. This also renders the piece virtually indestructible, physically, and spiritually. While this process sound meticulous, I see it as a kind of cultural meditation, that helps me decipher messages from the great beyond….”
Munyu Space, The Mall, Westlands
Peter Ngugi | Flying Over The City
Until 18 August
Ngugi utilizes images of kangas in his paintings. Ngugi expresses that the colourful kanga holds a significant role in culture, politics and religion within the East African region.Widely used to convey messages through the Kiswahili texts on the fabric, it has been included in many traditional and cultural ceremonies, such as weddings and bridal ceremoniesas well as to convey political messages and to pass religious messages to the masses. With these signifiers in mind, Ngugi has placed the kanga as the center-piece of his composition in this body of works. The wind and movement of the fabric represent change and dynamism. Flying Over The City is a journey to greater heights without the restrictive expectations of the city below. With an open mind and open arms, the model takes off to conquer new heights.
One-Off Gallery | 28 Lone Tree Road, Rosslyn
Endangered Echoes | Rashid Amin
Until 18 August
An exhibition that seeks to amplify the silent, yet vital, voices of our planet’s endangered plant species. In this collection, each sculpture carved from natural stone serves as a testament to the delicate balance and harmony that exists between nature and humanity, and a call to action for sustainable living. Our world is an intricate tapestry woven from countless threads of life, with plants and trees forming the backbone of this natural network. These silent sentinels provide us with the oxygen we breathe, the food we consume, and the raw materials that support our daily lives. They are the unseen architects of our environment, stabilizing the soil, moderating the climate, and sustaining the intricate web of biodiversity that all species depend upon. However, the echoes of these plants are growing fainter. Human activities, from deforestation to urban expansion to illegal logging, are pushing many plant species to the brink of extinction. Each piece, meticulously carved from natural stone, symbolizes the enduring strength and beauty of these plants, yet also their fragility in the face of human neglect.
One-Off Gallery | 28 Lone Tree Road, Rosslyn
In The Absence | An exhibition by Wajukuu Art Project
Until 14 September
Featuring work by Ngugi Wawere and Shabu Mwangi, this exhibition comprises an installation that juxtaposes corrugated iron with traditional construction materials such as dry grass and mud, underscoring shifts in perceptions of home. It envisions a communal space where contemplation and healing can take place amidst disorder. Altered images in the mirror encourage observers to surpass their accustomed identities. Through the sounds and natural vibrations of Tibetan singing bowls and poetry are intended to bring healing in the midst of societal unrest.
The African Arts Trust | Victoria Square, Riara Rd.
Somali Art and Culture | Various Artists
Extended through August.
It is one thing to preserve the cultural art of a society; however, it is quite another to do so during periods of political instability and socioeconomic hardship.
Golol Gallery, the first and last independent gallery of its kind ever established in Somalia, successfully opened the doors at Nairobi National Museum with the exhibition ‘Somali Art and Culture’ by the gallery’s founding artist, Ali Said Hassan.
Nairobi National Museum Creativity Gallery