A few new exhibitions iN Nairobi were announced…We’ve done an update so you don’t have to keep up with the scrolling…
OPENINGS
“Gaza Habibti – غـــــزة حبيبتــــــي”, | Baraza Media Lab | Opening Friday 11 July, 2pm | Until Sunday 13 July
A powerful exhibition presented by Yura and Untold Palestine, in partnership with @barazamedialab @rashaa_jv
The exhibition showcases the work of 22 photographers from our collective, and features photography, poetry readings, film screenings, lectures, and more—offering a space for collective memory, resistance, and connection.
The Unfurling of My Abject Rage | Chela Yego x Nyakiro | Munyu Space | Opening Saturday 12 July | Until Monday 7 August
A Collaborative Exhibition between @chela.yego and @_nyakiro at @munyu_space . The Unfurling of My Abject Rageis a cathartic response to anger, an exploration of collective rage through the delicate yet powerful medium of handmade paper. Rooted in historical and cultural expressions of grief and fury, this exhibition channels raw emotional energy into a body of work that embraces both destruction and creation, fragility and force.
In the exhibition, paper becomes skin, wound, and vessel. The manipulation of fibres and found materials becomes an act of both exposure and defiance. Chela and Nyakiro come into confrontation with the ruptures beneath symbolic order, where the self is gushed open and suspended between inside and outside.
Drawing from Julia Kristeva’s essay, “Powers of Horror”, the exhibition explores how meaning emerges from what is cast off. Abjection, according to Kristeva, is both repulsive and magnetic. A collapsed border that destabilizes the self and the systems that seek to contain it.
This exhibition invites viewers to witness the breaking point, where personal and political boundaries blur, and where abjection becomes a generative force for feeling, thinking, and becoming.
JANAM: People of the Lake | Marius Frank Ajuma | Creativity Gallery, Nairobi National Museum | 14 July – 18 August
Bold. Colourful. Deeply rooted. – Explore the daily life of the Luo people around Lake Victoria through Ajuma’s striking brushwork.
EVENTS
Sound & Art for the Soul | One Off Contemporary Art Gallery | Sunday 13 July | 1 – 4pm
An experience like no other is calling you inward… A soul-nourishing journey of music, movement, art-gazing meditation and deep connection at the serene One Off Contemporary Art Gallery in Rosslyn. Imagine this: The gentle rhythm of breath guiding you inward…Flute melodies unlocking your emotions…Yoga and movement returning you to your body…Sacred journaling helping you hear your inner voice…And the art of sound healing reawakening your true self. Guided by the intuitive energies of Narissa & Akiko. Book now through Narissa on Mpesa: 0717685161.
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS
Dhows: The Timeless Vessels | Sophie Walbeoffe & Nidhi Mahajan | Alliance Française | Until 11 July
An exhibition of watercolours by the internationally known, Kenyan based artist, Sophie Walbeoffe and Multimedia installations by the artist and anthropologist, Nidhi Mahajan.
Sophie’s watercolours capture more than dhows, they evoke the shifting light, the call to prayer drifting across the harbour, the rich, layered culture of the Swahili coast. Dhows, hand-built and tide-worn, are more than a subject — they are part of the East African identity. With intuitive marks and translucent washes, Sophie expresses their grace and soul.
Nidhi’s video installation shows the perils of dhows at sea and contrasts the life at sea and at home of sailors, mainly from the Gulf of Kachchh on the western coast of India. The three-part audio essay brings to life maritime labour in the Indian Ocean: pearl diving in the Gulf, seasons of sail and an account of a runaway sailor from Lamu.
Gods in Action | Khalid Shatta | Kamene Art Centre | Until 12 July
Norwegian-Sudanese artist Khalid Shatta’s debut exhibition in Nairobi. A collection of ballpen drawings and acrylic canvases inspired by his collection Gods In Action. The exhibition contains sculptures and installations designed by the artist and coproduced by Sudanese sculptor Heraa Hassan.
“Gods in Action” is a visual journey through how indigenous communities—beginning with the Nuba of Sudan—express the divine through art, ritual, and environment. This series invites viewers to explore spiritual representation across cultures, from the Nile to the Pacific, revealing what distinguishes and connects us. RSVP here. Please ensure you check your email after RSVP’ing for the event details.
Poster design by @theweirdpackage
The Past Will Be Like the Future | Jonathan Sölanke Gathaara Fraser | Until 17 July
Jonathan Sölanke Gathaara Fraser’s practice is an ode to curiosity, to care and to paying close attention to the world around him. For the last 5 years, he has been using drawing, and more recently sound and installation, as a kind of auxiliary sense with which to observe and record his environment. For his second solo at Circle, the artist invites us to share in the experience of paying close and careful attention, stepping into observation through embodiment; a departure from the usual intellectualisation of our experiences of artwork and the world around us.
New Wave | Group Exhibition | One Off Gallery | Until 20 July
New Wave is an exhibition showing works by emerging artists living and working in Nairobi. This exhibition is a very intentional effort at introducing this select group to professional exhibition making while allowing them an opportunity to have their work in a mainstream gallery. The sixteen artists, with different educational backgrounds, are at different levels of their practice. All have participated in large open exhibitions in spaces such as studios, restaurants, schools etc. New Wave is an attempt at introducing them to more contemporary spaces and audiences.
This exhibition shall also be used as a platform for mentoring and critiquing discussions and shall coincide with a workshop on document preparation ranging from developing professional curriculum vitae, writing relevant artists’ statements, how to tap into existing opportunities for artists and application procedures. A topic that is not comprehensively covered in the few existing art schools locally.
New Wave is a collaborative project between The Nairobi Contemporary Trust and One Off Contemporary Art Gallery. Curated by Thom Ogonga with Onyis Martin.
Notes on Friendship: Breaking Bread | Various artists | NCAI | Until 27 July
The Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI) and The Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art (SCCA) Tamale proudly present Notes on Friendship: Breaking Bread, a collaborative exhibition connecting artist-led institutions from Kenya and Ghana. This cross-continental project emerges from a desire to bridge geographic and generational gaps, fostering the exchange of dreams, ideas, and struggles influenced by the dynamic cultural, social, economic, and political realities of both regions. At its heart, Notes on Friendship: Breaking Bread explores the concept of friendship as a site for dialogue, critique, and creative support. @ncai254
People & Places | Group Exhibition | Ardhi Gallery | Until 31 July
People & Places is a vibrant celebration of young Kenyan artists who, though scattered across cities, informal settlement, and studios, are united by their love for art and the power of connection. Sparked by a chance meeting at Ardhi Gallery, this exhibition grew from a simple idea: no artist should have to journey alone. From Mombasa to Kisumu, Nairobi to Thika, these emerging voices come together to share, learn, and uplift one another. Through painting and mixed media, People and Places reveals a tapestry of personal stories, collective growth, and the unbreakable spirit of artistic solidarity.
Queens of the Swahili Seas | Nairobi National Museum | Until 31 July
From Lamu to Nairobi! As July hosts International Kiswahili Day, The Nairobi National Museum is honouring the occasion with “Queens of the Swahili Seas”, an exhibition celebrating the powerful stories of Swahili queens. Though their names may have faded, their legacies still echo through time. Museum fees apply.
Self Talk | Ronnie Ogwang | Banana Hill Art Gallery | Until 31 August
“Self Talk,” a powerful solo exhibition by Ugandan artist Ronnie Ogwang. Rooted in personal reflection and unflinching honesty, this body of work draws viewers into a deeply introspective journey that explores the intersections of identity, loss, truth, and resistance.
Raised in the heart of Kampala, Ogwang’s path as an artist was shaped by the vibrant textures of daily life and the quiet strength of his mother. Her passing marked a turning point in his creative journey, igniting a period of contemplation that would redefine his artistic purpose. A graduate of Makerere University, Ogwang merges painting, photography, and graphic design to form a visual language that is raw, layered, and fearless.
“Self Talk” reflects a dialogue between the personal and the political. In these works, Ogwang leans into his signature “masking” technique—a tactile, textured method using acrylics to conceal and reveal simultaneously. These surfaces speak of contradictions: beauty and pain, chaos and calm, reverence and rebellion. Through this contrast, Ogwang reflects on faith, the fragility of life, and the social constructs that shape our understanding of self.
Fabric of Our Being | April Kamunde| The African Arts Trust | Until 2 August
April Kamunde is a painter born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. After spending 17 years doing portraiture commissions, Kamunde transitioned into full-time practice in late 2020. She works primarily in oils creating paintings that tell intimate and personal stories. Through soft and delicate brush strokes, her subjects, oftentimes placed into a natural, lush environment, radiate a gentle and natural presence. While often working from an autobiographical origin, her work leans into shared experiences, making it relatable across audiences and intending to explore and ignite conversations.
Her recent body of work explores meanings of rest and the pursuit of it, from a personal and feminist angle. The work is driven by personal reflection and response to feelings of weariness triggered by her recent experiences of the pandemic, a rapidly changing world and the endeavor to live a successful and fulfilling life in fast-paced Nairobi, one of Africa’s mega cities.
The dera features prominently in the series. The dress is usually designed to fit loosely, giving ample room for aeration and movement. In Nairobi, it has grown in popularity, especially as loungewear. To Kamunde, the Dera serves as a “Do Not Disturb” sign for the women who wear it, signaling “me-time” and the reclamation of their energy. The natural fauna, her women are placed into, serves as yet another antidote to, as well as withdrawal from their every-day performances of societal and cultural roles and expectations.
Archives of My Soul | Onesmus Okamar | HoF Gallery | Until 3 August
A new solo showcase featuring Onesmus Okamar. For more information kindly reach out – 0741443678.
Bearing Witness: Echoes of Survival | Lango Kabhula | Until 5 August
This iteration re-centres the profound exploration of memory, sacrifice, and human endurance by this artist from DRC, while shifting the curatorial lens toward the act of collective remembrance and the potency of visual testimony in shaping new futures.
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
Zelensky on my Mind, 2025, oil on canvas, 160 x 200cm
Sibylla Martin | Paintings for an Anxious Age | Circle Gallery | Opening Wednesday 23 July 6 – 8pm | Until 22 August
“What moves and interests me is colour, I crave the smell and feel of oil paint and I love what it can do. The tension between colours moves me deeply and what you can make them do is the challenge. My Ukrainian grandfather’s interest in geometric abstract art coloured my visual experience and embedded in me an enduring and instinctive inclination towards the abstract. Studying at the Slade School in London and travels to Italy gave me a disciplined grounding. I developed a rigorous painting technique with the use of traditional materials and proportion learnt from the early Renaissance painters. These two influences share a formality that is evident in my own work.”
Though a lover of nature, Sibylla has never been drawn to depicting the romantic landscape preferring instead to allow the colours an shapes around her to insert themselves into her abstract paintings.
OPPORTUNITIES
Street Art Competition | German Embassy Nairobi | Deadline 30 July
Deadline is July, not June, but any artists applying will need time to prepare:
The German Embassy Nairobi, together with the German-Speaking Evangelical Lutheran Congregation (GSELC), is inviting Kenyan street artists and art collectives to design 10 fibre cement boards that showcase German-Kenyan partnership. Theme: “Ushirikiano – Pamoja na Tofauti” (Partnership – United in Diversity)
They’re looking for powerful visual interpretations of the strong and diverse ties between Kenya and Germany—from climate action, UN cooperation, joint community work in various parts of the country to cultural collaborations.
📐 Each design will cover a 3.82 sqm board (3.18m x 1.2m)
🏆 Winning artists will receive support to realise their vision on the outer perimeter wall of the Embassy facing Riverside Drive!
🔗 Full details