It’s transition time in the Nairobi art world… see our full list for the where and when
LAST CHANCE TO SEE – This week only
Colors of a Painter | Santana Sino, featuring ๐น๐๐๐๐โ ๐ผ๐๐๐, ๐ธ๐๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ป๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ข๐, ๐๐ก๐๐โ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ข๐๐, ๐ถ๐ ๐ด๐ธ & ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐
Until 31 August
There are few more days to see this concept exhibition based on poems by ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐จ 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 @hofgallerykibera
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. Itโs exciting to see how we will weave together the shared cultural experiences of Asia and Africa in such a profound way. The theme of โNownessโ 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 byย @metamorphosisartprojects UK.
National Art Gallery of Kenya, Nairobi National Museum @nationalartgalleryofkenya
Becoming | Samuel Muriithi
Until 31 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.
Provisions Kenya, Lower Kabete @provisionskenya
Somali Art and Culture | Various Artists
Throughout 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 โSomali Art and Cultureโ by the galleryโs founding artist, Ali Said Hassan.
Nairobi National Museum Creativity Gallery, @nationalartgalleryofkenya
NEW OPENINGS
Watching You, Watching Me (photographs) | Talitha Puri Negri
Series of eye images by Talitha Puri Negri
Opening Saturday 31 August 2-6pm | Until 22 September
Puri Negri says of her works: “My work consists of two parts; the first is composed of 32 eyes. Todayโs society is constantly watched and influenced by social media and by the viewers browsing history. The 32 eyes shown together but printed separately, convey the feeling of being constantly watched. In fact if you look carefully, the photographers reflection can be seen in the eyes.ย ย The eyes are also the window to someoneโs soul or, as others prefer to call it, consciousness.ย ย Do the eyes also offer an insight into the personality?ย ย Can you match the eye to the portrait?ย ย Is that how you expected the person to look? The second part of the work is a series of diptychs and a triptych that portray details of every day life, people, buildings and nature. All the details that we miss, as again we are distracted by the constant images on our phones, on our computers and on billboards.ย ย These details build the connection,ย the balances of nature, that interconnectivity we so often forget or ignore.”
One-Off Gallery | 28 Lone Tree Road, Rosslyn @oneoff_gallery_kenya
We Are Parlour Soldiers | Beatrice Wanjiku
Opening Saturday 31 August 2-6pm | Until 22 September
Parlour Soldier Vย by Beatrice Wanjiku
The title of this exhibition is taken from the essayย โSelf-relianceโย byย Ralphย Waldoย Emerson.ย This series is aboutย love, care and service to man which is expected of us, in regard to how we treat each other. These works call for introspection; a call to return to ourselves. A call to assess the person in front of the mirror. Especially in these times. These works focus on our internalised core feelings, as we individually seek to remedy our self-imposed ethical dilemma. The forms depicted in these artworks are uncloaked, stripped of skin. The rawness contained in this collection speaks to our most intimate selves. These paintings aim to break free from the societal expectations; which are generally restrictive.ย The mood is one of focusing on โour inward gaze – a focused concentrated awareness of being.โ The title โWe are Parlour Soldiersโ is referencing this inward gaze.
One-Off Gallery | 28 Lone Tree Road, Rosslyn @oneoff_gallery_kenya
In Transit Under Another Sky | Various artists
Image courtesy of Kamene Cultural Centre
Opening Saturday 31 August 6pm | Until 21 September
Curated by E.N. Mirembe @subtleroyalty and Rosie Olang’ Odhiambo @rosie_olang , this exhibition, in their words, invokes the fugitive nature of art and artists working in-between spaces, considering physical geographies as well as other marginal identities and what emerges from the positionality of transience.
The exhibition features 11 artists; Larry Achiampong, Jessica Atieno, Letaru Dralega, Wezile Harmans, Kabi Kimari, Liz Kobusinge & Darlyne Komukama, Peterson Kamwathi, Mogoi, Neema Ngelime, and SCARLETMOTIFF.โ
Kamene Cultural Centre, Santock Estate, Ngong Rd. @kamene_centre
Sex & The City VI
Image courtesy of Alliance Franรงaise
Opening 4 September
In its sixth edition, the protagonists continue to parody the goings-on in spaces within the city while continuing an objective conversation on this subject. This exhibition is in no way intended to glorify substance abuse and promiscuity.
Alliance Franรงaise, Utali Lane, CBD @afnairobi
The Shifting Identites of Africa | Achieng Owira & Rosette Aweko
“African Aesthetic” (left) by Aweko Rossette and “Aminata” (right) by Achieng Owiraย
Opening 7 September 2-5 pm, with Artist’s Talk at 3pm | Until 29 September
This exhibition by Achieng Owira and Aweko Rossette explores how cultures and lives in Africa are changing drawing on their individual lives, experiences and understanding of life in Kenya and Uganda.
Aweko Rossette is a self-taught Ugandan artist based in Nairobi. Her vibrant art is created with several layers of multi coloured dots that overlap and intersect resulting in visually striking art. Through her art, Aweko explores the rich tapestry of African culture and seeks to remind people to pause and see the positive things life has to offer. While some of her work explores challenges and pain, most of her art is a reminder to not just focus on the ifficulties Africans are experiencing but to see anda experience the joy in our lives and cultures.
Achieng Owira is a Nairobi based artist with a studio at the Kuona Artists Collective. Through her contemporary art, Achieng interrogates shifting identities of African people as they navigate modern society. She often focuses on women – untying their identities from the men in their lives. She frequently examines the gap between who society says women should be and who they can be when they exercise theirn autonomy and remain authentic to who they are.
National Art Gallery of Kenya, Nairobi National Museum @nationalartgalleryofkenya
Unstable Worlds| Souad Abdelrassoul
Years of Service | Various Artists
Opening 14 September, 3-7 pm | Until 9 November
A collaborative exhibition, curated by Jamey Ponte, around recycled materials showcasing bodies of work from artists Savior Juma, Bernard Musyoki, Njogu Kuria & John Ruitha. These artists have a history of utilizing post-consumer materials. Such materials can be viewed as having a past, having had a different story or purpose to the lives of consumers, in contrast to the current iterations that these artists have transformed them into via their various artistic processes, giving the materials new roles and visions, to be interpreted by the viewer.
HoF Gallery, Kibera @hofgallerykibera
NEW EXHIBITIONS
Open Your Eye | Leo Mativo
Until 15 September
Tribal Gallery, Loresho Ridgeย | Tel: 01114 78453
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS – A few more weeks
The Spirit of Colours | Nega Yilma
In the Garden by Nega Yilma
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. Yilmaโs 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 @bananahillartgallery
Reflections of Resilience | From the collection of Wilson Kimunya
Image by Onesmus Okamar
Until 5 September
A collectorโs 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 Kimunyaโs 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
Ardhi Gallery, Ole Sangale Link Rd. @ardhigallery
CHARLESย SEKANOย – 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 โ 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 โ those that he immortalises in his works โย 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 toย symbolise freedom.
Whilst influences of Picasso, Braqueโs Cubism, Toulouse-Lautrec and Henri Rousseauโs 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 โ 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 Vรถlkerkunde 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.
In The Absence | An exhibition by Wajukuu Art Project
Until 14 Septemberย
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. @theafricanartstrust
60 Years – The NCAI Collection
Fabian Mpagi: ย Untitled (Portrait of the artist’s mother and younger brother), 1977
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 Ngโok. 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 artistsโ 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. @ncai254