October in Nairobi is humming with colour, texture, and ideas—gallery walls and open-air spaces alike alive with exhibitions that ask us to look closer, listen deeper, and linger longer. This month, the city’s art scene is all resonance and revelation.
EVENTS & OPENINGS
Rika25: Generations & Memories | Locations vary | Through 9 October
Alongside the eponymous exhibtion at Hakina Trade Centre in CBD, there are still over a dozen Rika25 events happening, at the site of the exhibtion as well as at other locations. Individual posters for some events are below. Read more about Rika25 in our article.
Monologue | Derrick Munene | Under the Swahili Tree, Karen | Opening Thursday 2 October, 5pm | Until 30 October
This Nairobi-based visual artist is known for his striking paper collage compositions that explore themes of identity, societal expectations, and human emotion. His work intricately weaves together layered fragments, creating textured narratives that challenge perception and invite deeper reflection.
Kuona Collective 30 Year Anniversary “First Sato” | Saturday 4 October | 12 – 9pm
A special edition First Sato next weekend as we celebrate this milestone – 30 years of Kuona!
Great music – Udulele & Nathan Okite, good vibes, amazing art and food is a sure thing!!
Jogoo Wa Shamba Wawika Mjini | Holmes à Court Gallery, Afrika House, Karen | Exhibition opening 4 October, 2 – 8pm | Until 1 November
This exhibition is a celebration of 5 years of 199x and explores resilience, adaptation and hybridity; how the values and textures of countryside living survive, shift and reemerge in the chaos of the city.🔗 RSVP link in bio @afrika.housekenya.
Poster Design: @_.sinatra
Home • House • Houses • Home | Chrispus Nyaanga | Ardhi Gallery | Opening Saturday 4 October, 3 – 6pm | Until 31 October
Welcome to the intimate world of Chrispus Nyaanga where alleys become canvases and homes become stories. This exhibition invites you to look beyond corrugated walls and narrow streets—to witness the resilience, resourcefulness, and beauty of communities living as one.
Reflections in Blue: An exhibition by cyanotype artist Elizabeth Ashamu Deng | Wasp & Sprout | Opening: Saturday, October 4, 2–5pm
Reflections in Blue: An exhibition by cyanotype artist Elizabeth Ashamu Deng | Wasp & Sprout | Opening: Saturday, October 4, 2–5pmElizabeth’s works reinterpret African kanga and kitenge textiles in the indigo tones of cyanotype—fusing color, pattern, and text into pieces that feel both familiar and surprising, vibrant yet contemplative. Elizabeth is a self-taught, Nairobi-based cyanotype artist and founder of @Elewaart, a creative studio expanding knowledge of cyanotype in Kenya.
Beyond Garment – a performative showcase | Kibera Arts District | Opening Saturday 4 October 3 – 7pm | Through 8 October
The final showcase of Bridging Spaces Collaborative Artist Residency by Kijana. During the residency, artists explored creativity beyond what we wear, fashion beyond fabric and fabric beyond fashion – reimagined through exchange and collaboration. In the final showcase, Kijana want to invite you into our world of imagination we collectively created during the three weeks of the residency in @kiberaartsdistrict. Read more about Kijana and Beyond Garment in our article.
Another World Is Possible – Paul Onditi | Alliance Francasie | Opening Tuesday 7 October at 6.30pm | Until 26 October
Fresh from the Offenbach Academy of Art in Germany, the artist held his first exhibition, Another World is Possible, at the Alliance Française in 2012. Since then, Onditi has participated in the Biennales in Dakar and Venice and has just ended an exhibition at the AKKA Project in Venice. ‘Another World is Possible 2’ continues to push the boundaries of contemporary art, offering a poetic reflection on the fragile balance between humanity, technology, and the environment.
Journey Over a Million Footpaths | National Museums of Kenya | Opening + Meet & Greet Wednesday 8 October, 4-5:30pm | Talk every Saturday 2 – 4pm | Until 31 October
“Journey over a million footpaths” shows us what it means for Africa’s artifacts to return in physical form,
through an immersive digital experience. It creatively takes the audiences through a cinematic layering of sound, light, and color — African cultural objects becoming once more the protagonists of their own stories as was intended by their makers. The journey traverses imagined landscapes rooted in reality, evoking the memory of traditional Africa.
The Weight of the Unseen | Tibeb Sirak | Village Market Rooftop | Opening Saturday 11 October, 2 – 5pm | Until 27 October
Tewasart and Patrons is pleased to present the first solo exhibition in Nairobi by Ethiopian artist @tibeb.sirak Born in Jijiga in 2001, raised in Somalia, and now based in Addis Ababa, Sirak’s practice is rooted in his Somali heritage while speaking to the broader human experience. He draws on the visual traditions that shaped his upbringing—textiles, jewellery, and traditional art forms—as enduring sources of inspiration. “The textiles, the jewellery making, and traditional art forms that surround me have informed my visual language,” he reflects.
Open Studio – Apondii | Location on RSVP | Friday 10 October
“I’m opening up my studio for one evening only & airing out my Dirty Laundry. Come see the work, the mess, the magic” – Apondii. Free entry. RSVP for location (link in the bio).
SOS Art Kenya | Kibera Arts District | Opening Saturday 18 October + events that weekend | Through 16 November
A new annual large-scale exhibition sharing more than 300 works about Peace & Justice. This show will be the largest exhibition that 𝐇𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐊𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚 has presented & will be in spaces throughout the 𝐊𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭.
Great art works to experience and of course most will be for purchase. Opening date is 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 with a full weekend of events/performances on Saturday & Sunday. A full schedule of events including Artists Talks, Art Collectors Forum, Dinner in the Gallery, Poetry, Spoken Word, Street Performances & more. including a ‘Time Machine’ where you can save your thoughts to be shared back to you in the future.
Mark your Calendar & check in @hofgallery for more details to come. Exhibition will run through 16th November. Some works will only be displayed on the opening weekend.
19th Annual Affordable Art Show | Nairobi National Museum | Friday 24 – Sunday 26 October
It’s time again for the Kenya Museum Society’s Affordable Art Show. Come discover new artists, soak up the buzzing vibe and take home an original artwork. Over 400 artists will participate with over 800 artworks on show. A percentage of the sales goes to KMS toward funding projects at the Museums. Attend opening night where the best chance to snap up your favourite artworks will be accompanied by the fabulous music of Akoth Jumadi. Over the weekend there will be Live Art – watch the artists do their thing! – plus participatory activities: Dotillism, Fabric Art Taster, Henna Body Art & Children’s activities.
Get tickets on Kenya Buzz – note that this year all entry is ticketed.
Nairobi Sketch Tour: Ngong Hills | Saturday 25 October | 11am
The inspiring Ngong Jills. You might have been there a bunch of times. But have you been up in Ngong Hills while capturing beautiful scenery with water color? As always we are excited. As always no drawing experience is needed to participate. As always NST promise an intimate adventure for the heart and soul. Ticket link in bio @nairobisketchtour.
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS
It Resonates | Group Exhibition | 50 GOLDBORNE X Heltz House, Ngara | Until 4 October | Every Thursday to Sunday from 2 – 6pm
“It Resonates” marks the first exhibition in Nairobi by London-based gallery 50 GOLBORNE. First shown privately at the TED Countdown (Climate) Global Summit in Nairobi (June 2025), “It Resonates” now opens to the wider public in Nairobi. It showcases the work of nine contemporary artists across the African continent. Drawing on the concept of “resonance” by German philosopher Hartmut Rosa—the charged interplay where self and world affect one another—the exhibition reveals how themes of sustainability and climate subtly infuse the works. Although the continent is the world’s least polluting, it is among the most affected by climate change. “It Resonates” responds not with imagery of catastrophe, but with artistic explorations of connection and transformation. .
Exhibiting Artists:
🇲🇦Safaa Erruas (@safaaerruas)
🇺🇬Sanaa Gateja (@gatejasanaa_official)
🇰🇪Martin Jakaila (@mjakaila)
🇧🇯Emo de Medeiros (@emo.de.medeiros)
🇰🇪Chemu Ng’ok (@chemungok)
🇺🇬Joseph Ntensibe (@josephntensibe)
🇺🇬Collin Sekajugo (@collin_sekajugo)
🇲🇬Temandrota (@temandrota)
🇰🇪Joseph Kamaru (@_kamaru_
In collaboration with @prithika.mohan (@weare.thestation) and @christine__hogendoorn (@lmnl_spaces).
Myth of Man | Sharon Kerubo | Munyu Space | Until 7 October
Sharon Kerubo’s first solo exhibition peels back the illusion of human superiority. With humor and sharp observation, Sharon invites viewers to see humans as they truly are: animals caught in their own loops, stumbling through the grand story they invented about themselves.
Generations & Memories | Hazina Trade Towers (formerly Nakumatt Lifestyle), CBD | Until 9 October
Generations & Memories is a month-long exhibition and series of events featuring new work, performances, publications, discussions, participatory expression and more. Generations & Memories explores connections, not just with each other, but across generations and the historical boundaries of those that came before us. Together we explore this entanglement, asking: What do we want to pass on? What do we remember? What do we forget? What legacies do we carry and which to let go?
This is Me | Marlyn | Chez Mahmadi | Until Friday 10 October
Explore the depths of emotion, expression and imagination.
Hang me between your windows, series l and ll (left to right), 2025 – Tahir Karmali
Hang Me Between Your Windows | Tahir Karmali | Circle Art Gallery | Until 16 October
Working across an array of mediums, Kenyan-born, NYC-based Tahir Karmali’s work dances through the visceral, the emotional and the intimate. Karmali’s expansive material-oriented practice employs photography, installation, paper making, sculpture and sound concentrates. Using these media, he explores notions of migration, landscape and geology, labour and belonging.
Forms of Fray | Anita Kavochy, Jonathan Sölanke, Gathaara Fraser, Liz Kobusinge & Darlyne Komukama | The African Arts Trust | Opening Friday 15 August, 6pm-8pm. | Until 18 October
“Forms of Fray” brings together four artists whose practices explore the intimate interplay between memory and materiality, where the act of remembering is embedded in the textures, forms, and gestures of the work. Committed to paper not only as a surface, but as a carrier of meaning, and trace, their work is shaped by an attention to the processes of material, to what is gathered, altered, and left incomplete — imbuing what arrives with a material poetics: of fibres that hold, edges that unravel, forms that resist closure.
Liz Kobusinge crafts paper by hand, embedding the labour of making into each sheet, and together with sound artist Darlyne Komukama they print onto this paper, working the seams of collaboration in a way both tactile and conceptual. Kavochy gathers: discarded newspapers, fragments of public memory, overlaying them with painted scenes that disturb while reassembling what remains. Jonathan Fraser’s delicate drawings, rendered in watercolour, sit lightly on the surface, as if to mark without claiming.
The exhibition proposes fray not as failure, but as method and measure. To suggest that no material, no memory, no body arrives whole, or remains so for long.
Happenings Around Here | Photizo Art Gallery | Until 18 October
Beautiful creations by Suzanah Bakora, Brian Otieno and Yegonizer, three unique artists from Kenya, painting the world they live in and telling the story of what is happening around them. Please click this link to view the catalogue.
Predator or Victim | Vivien Wallis | One Off Gallery | Until 19 October
An interesting exhibition highlighting the issue of Crows at the Coast. ‘Victim or Predator’ explores the conflict created by trying to eradicate an invasive species imported from India by the British Governor of Zanzibar in 1892. They were introduced in an attempt to control garbage. The species poses a significant treat to Wildlife in Kenya. Conservation groups are trying to eliminate the birds using a specialist avicide called Starlicide. The exhibition captures the beauty and intelligence of the birds whilst acknowledging the ruthless aspects of their existence.
Recent Works | James Vaulkhard | One Off Gallery | Until 19 October
“Energy Never Lies” was inspired by a series of questions that emerged from my earlier body of work, the Divine Feminine. Questions that further investigate the true nature of the self through the lens of energy. Through these investigations, Shah invites the audience to explore their own frequency, energy, vibration, and the information received. To question, if you could harness this energy, what would your desired reality look like?
Looking Into the Mad Eye of History Without Blinking | Canon Griffin Rumanzi | NCAI | Until 2 November
A solo exhibition by Ugandan artist Canon Griffin Rumanzi, curated by Trevor Mukholi. The exhibition confronts the turbulent and fragmented narratives of Uganda’s past and their ongoing echoes in the present.
Through digital collage and archival intervention, Griffin layers colonial records, state symbols, family portraits, and everyday images to create a visual language of fracture, one that refuses easy containment or simplified stories. His work challenges us to look directly, without blinking, at the contradictions of history and the unresolved complexities that shape our collective memory.
My Space – Doreen Mandawa (Tanzania)
Echoes of Humanity | Red Hill Art Gallery | Until 2 November
Photography Exhibtion | Teti Sulu & Trevor Maingi | Good Grain Bakery | Until 13 November
In The Last Ones, @tetisulu & @mustbe_tj turn their gaze towards Mount Kenya’s shifting landscape, treating it not simply as a backdrop but as a subject in its own right. The photographs, shot on film and the result of a demanding climb, resist immediacy. They insist on slowness: the patient tones of silver grain, the pauses for exposure, the weight of waiting for the developed negative. Rather than tell a single story, this body of work places human presence in dialogue with geological time, inviting us to reflect on the weight of change, and the delicate balance between permanence and transformation. Opening night RSVP is closed. RSVP Link for Sunday Gallery Day in @papercafe.nbo bio. Exhibition on view until 13 November.
Guardians of Memory | Njogu Kuria | Banana Hill Art Gallery | Until 28 November
Explore the art of memory. Discover breathtaking sculptures crafted from rubber, vinyl, and metal—each piece tells a story of resilience, culture, and identity.
Open daily.