The Nairobi Art World is coming alive again. New shows, fresh voices, and studios buzzing—our monthly art guide is your map.

EVENTS & OPENINGS

The Story Lives On | Nairobi National Museum Creativity Gallery | Saturday 31 January | 2 – 4pm

Art does not exist in isolation. It moves through time. This will be a special intergenerational tour bringing Wahenga wa Sanaa and the Sena Gallery’s Cultural Tapestries exhibition into conversation. This guided experience invites us to reflect on where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are going; tracing lineage, influence, and the evolving language of African art. ENTRY FOR THIS EVENT IS FREE!

Wahenga wa Sanaa exhibition is collaboratively supported by @museumsofkenya and @museumsociety

Yellowing | Munyu Space | Opeingin Saturday 31 January, 4 – 8pm | Unitl 13 February

Yellowing is not a conventional exhibition. It is an ongoing artistic program rooted in process, collaboration, and collective authorship. Artists enter Yellowing with works in progress questions, fragments, and unresolved ideas rather than finished pieces. Art production and exhibition unfold simultaneously, allowing works to evolve through dialogue, experimentation, and public engagement.

The program emphasizes:
– Process over completion
– Collective responsibility over individual authorship
– Dialogue and critique as methods of production
– Art as a living, evolving practice

Hosted at ‪‪‪@munyu_space‬‬‬ Yellowing functions as a shared studio and semi-residency, activated through workshops, collective critiques, public talks, film screenings, and live artistic practices. The exhibition remains open, mutable, and responsive throughout its duration.

Tides of Light & Land | Liz Walker | One Off Gallery | Opening Saturday 31 January, 2-5pm | Until 22 February

Liz Walker’s stunning photography is distinguished by her masterful use of intentional camera movement to transform landscapes into evocative, painterly visions. By deliberately blurring form and light, she moves beyond literal description to capture the emotional resonance of place, allowing colour, rhythm, and gesture to take precedence over detail. Her images suggest memory and atmosphere rather than fixed geography, inviting viewers into a contemplative space where landscape becomes an expression of mood and perception. Through this approach, Walker redefines the natural world as something felt as much as seen.

When the Snow Melts on Kilimanjaro and the Limpopo Runs Dry | Geoff Weedon | One Off Gallery | Opening Reception Saturday 31 January, 2 – 5pm | Until 22 Februrary

Weedon has produced a series of oil paintings which offers a sober, reflective interrogation of how environmental disaster reshapes the animal kingdom, focusing less on spectacle than on aftermath and vulnerability.  Through carefully observed forms, restrained compositions, an exuberant palette, the work traces the relentless erosion of habitat and the psychological weight borne by non-human life in the wake of ecological collapse.
Animals are presented not as symbols but as victims, their altered behaviors and precarious existence mirroring the broader consequences of human intervention.  In doing so, Weedon invites viewers to confront environmental catastrophe as an ongoing condition rather than as a distant event, emphasizing responsibility, loss and fragile resilience.

Pyenga II | Brush Tu Artists | Brush Tu Collective | Saturday 31 January | 12 – 6pm

An exhibition of small works by the Brush Tu artists, in an Open Studio format.

Nairobi Photo Walk | Jorge Dachala | Unpublished Africa Photo Walks | Sunday 1 February | 11am

Unpublished Africa Photo Walks is back in Nairobi for another walk focused on practice, presence, and community. A simple way to step outside, make work, and connect with other visual storytellers. Location will be shared upon registration. Link to register.

The Mall Art Graffiti | One Walls X Girlskate Nairobi | The Mall Rooftop | Wednesday 4 February | From 11am | Free entry

In a city where urban space is often contested or restricted, Nairobi creatives have collectively carved out a sanctuary atop The Mall in Westlands turning it into a hub of radical empowerment, a “safe space” where young minds can reclaim their agency.Now, a new chapter is beginning as the community prepares to repaint the murals that define their home, turning the concrete rooftop into a vibrant canvas.

Since its founding by @_.jellies and @tonyii.skate , @girlskate_nairobi has transformed this nondescript rooftop into a cultural landmark. The air,usually filled with the clatter of boards, hip-hop music, and laughter is a space where girls and gender-diverse people can skate without the fear of judgment or harassment.

The upcoming collaboration to repaint the rooftop murals is designed to refresh the energy of the space and reflect the growth of the community and allow the skaters to literally “mark their territory” in a city that often asks girls to shrink.

The project aims to blend the raw energy of street skating with high-impact visual storytelling. you can support the repainting of the murals by purchasing our merchandise via the dm or from girlskate nairobi and also enrolling to their private skating lessons.

Held High – Held Back | Rasto Cyprian & Fridah Ijai | HoF Gallery | Kibera Arts District | Opening Reception Saturday 7 February, 2pm – 7pm | Until 8 March

Kibera Arts District hosts three gallery openings with HOF Gallery Kibera exhibiting works by Rasto Cyprian & Fridah Ijai bringing a repulsive effect on both personal and communal perspective on identity. Rasto’s work built on the concept of the veil creates censorship, concealment, and restriction. The veil (mesh integrated within the paintings) acts as the barrier confining one from accessing something. Fridah’s work brings the pride and acknowledgement of one’s ‘self’, the long necks are inspired by the women in Thailand and southern parts of Africa brings the Asserted presence and the hidden identity by either the individual as well as the community.

HoF Gallery – open daily from 10am to 7pm. open daily from 10am to 7pm. For location Google “Kibera Arts District”. Pin here.
For more information: 𝑃𝑎𝑡𝑜 𝑂𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑜, 𝑣𝑖𝑎 𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒- 𝟤𝟧𝟦 𝟩𝟦𝟣 𝟦𝟦𝟥 𝟨𝟩𝟪 | 𝐽𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑦 𝑃𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒, 𝑣𝑖𝑎 𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑙- 𝑗𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑦@ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑦𝑎.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The premiere exhitbition opening the NoBodyOwnsMe Gallery in the Kibera Arts Districe, ‘Story of Another Day’ is an exhibition on photography and sculpture focusing on daily life, routine, survival, repetition, and resilience, without being literal. Showing works by Ramadhan Said, Lucas Oyugi, Lisette van Niekerk & Moussa Inna.

NoBodyOwnsMe Gallery – open daily from 10am to 7pm. open daily from 10am to 7pm. For location Google “Kibera Arts District”. Pin here.
For more information: 𝑃𝑎𝑡𝑜 𝑂𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑜, 𝑣𝑖𝑎 𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒- 𝟤𝟧𝟦 𝟩𝟦𝟣 𝟦𝟦𝟥 𝟨𝟩𝟪 | 𝐽𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑦 𝑃𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒, 𝑣𝑖𝑎 𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑙- 𝑗𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑦@ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑦𝑎.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Kujituma | Dennis Ndegwa | Annex Gallery | Kibera Arts District | Opening Reception Saturday 7 February 2 – 7pm | Through 8 March

The launch of Annex Gallery in Kibera Arts District will exhibit KUJITUMA sharing works by Dennis Ndegwa alias ‘Bull’. Rooted in the everyday choreography of survival. the quiet, relentless labor that keeps life moving. Drawn from the slang that captures hustling with purpose, it speaks to determination not as spectacle, but as routine. Framing hustle as dignity: a refusal to stall, a commitment to keep going despite uncertainty. It honors the discipline of showing up, the courage to bet on tomorrow, and the ingenuity of making do with what is at hand.

Annex Gallery – open daily from 10am to 7pm. For location Google “Kibera Arts District”. Pin here.
For more information: 𝑃𝑎𝑡𝑜 𝑂𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑜, 𝑣𝑖𝑎 𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒- 𝟤𝟧𝟦 𝟩𝟦𝟣 𝟦𝟦𝟥 𝟨𝟩𝟪 | 𝐽𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑦 𝑃𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒, 𝑣𝑖𝑎 𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑙- 𝑗𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑦@ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑦𝑎.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Matiéres Voyageurs/Travelling Materials | Kabhula Lango | Alliance Française | 9-28 February

This is an immersive work composed of artistic tableaux and a central installation: a large umbrella suspended from the ceiling, from which a performative image is projected. This performance centres on Mwan’engo, the reincarnated ancestor of a young man who haunts the young man, challenging his memories to help him see beyond illusions and imposed realities. The young man is torn between his ancestor’s anger and the illusion of his daily life, searching for freedom and identity.

The project is part of Kabhula’s ongoing research on the historical exploitation and contemporary overexploitation of natural resources, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The research also explores the consequences of resource exploitation, which Kabhula has witnessed himself: migration, ecological challenges, and social transformations.

Michael Armitage, Maria Lassnig, Chelenge Van Rampelberg | NCAI | Opening 19 Februrary | Until 5 April

The Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI) in collaboration with Kunsthaus Bregenz presents ‘Michael Armitage, Maria Lassnig, and Chelenge Van Rampelberg’ in an exhibition that brings together three distinct yet deeply connected artistic voices. Following its first presentation at Kunsthaus Bregenz (KUB) in 2025, this travelling exhibition arrives at NCAI for its second iteration, extending an intergenerational and transcontinental conversation shaped by shared inquiries into the human condition. Uniting drawings, lithographs, prints, and sculptures, the exhibition explores the body as a site of vulnerability, relationship, and belonging. Marking a significant moment for Nairobi, it features the first showing of works by both Michael Armitage and Maria Lassnig in East Africa. With the selection of works shaped by Armitage, the exhibition foregrounds influence, lineage, and artistic affinity, situating these converging perspectives within a renewed local and global context at NCAI. The exhibition is presented in partnership with the Maria Lassnig Foundation, the Federal Ministry of Austria, and the Austrian Embassy in Nairobi.

ONGOING EXHIBITIONS

Umbi Fine Art Exhibition | Nairobi Gallery | Until 31 January

A compelling new body of work by Wairimu Wa Wanjiru . This exhibition invites viewers into a space of reflection, exploring themes of Galaxy and Creation through a unique artistic lens. Museum rates apply.

A Lot Has Happened | Ian Gichohi | Paper Cafe X The Good Grain | Until 31 January 2026

A Lot Has Happened by Ian Gichohi brings together five years of photographic experiments attending to the image itself and the surface that holds it with equal attention. In his studio notes, Gichohi writes of the process – looking without to better understand the noise within, and with this eye develops individual images and assemblages that are altogether quiet, meditative and honest.

See Also
Khartoum – Things We Carry (2025)

Roots & Reinventions Pop Up | Warazi Art Collective & The Odyssey Collective | Ardhi Gallery | Through 1 February

A celebration of craft, culture, and conscious creation as Ardhi Gallery hosts its final physical exhibition before transitioning into its next chapter, a closing moment that honors what has been built and what is yet to come. This special showcase brings together Warazi collective and exceptional craft artisans, featuring sculptural bamboo works, thoughtfully made objects, and limited-run T-shirts drawn from original prints. Each piece reflects skill, heritage, and contemporary African design at its finest.

Heaven can Wait – Michael Soi | Untold Stories – Evans Mbugua | Circle Art Gallery | Until 25 February

As Circle Gallery expands their space to comprise two gallery rooms, they present new shows by Michael Soi and Evans Mbugua respectively.
Soi’s practice is well to known to function as a visual diary of Nairobi, offering sharp satirical commentary on the city’s social, economic, and political realities. His work examines relationships – intergenerational, interracial, and transactional – what he describes as the economics of love. Themes of commercial sex work, popular culture, globalization, and consumerism recur as lenses through which he interrogates contemporary urban life.

Untold Stories is part of the ongoing research Evans Mbugua has pursued for more than a decade around questions of identity and memory, through portraits of people drawn from his everyday environment.  This intensely personal work explores his familial line in relation to the building of a young Keyna, working with both glass painting and stained glass. A Kenyan based in Paris, France, Mbugua’s work has gained international recognition and has been presented in numerous gallery exhibitions and art fairs across Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America. This will be his first exhibition in Nairobi for many years.

Land, Politics & Ownership | The African Arts Trust | Until 28 February 2026

Land, Politics, and Ownership’ is an interdisciplinary project that interrogates the visual culture and contested realities of contemporary Addis Ababa through history. The collaborative practice of curator and artist Dagim Abebe and artist Natnael Ashebir navigates the tension between official historical archives and the intimate, often-erased archives of personal memory and lived experience. They employ a material language of texture, collage, and assembled media, using charcoal, soil, photographs, and printmaking techniques like image transfer and silkscreen. This approach makes the politics of space not just visible, but tangible, inviting viewers to physically and emotionally engage with the weight of displacement and the fragile acts of protection that define the modern urban landscape.

The African Horizons | Haji Chilonga | Banana Hill Gallery | Until 10 March

A solo exhibition by celebrated Tanzanian artist Haji Chilonga. Rooted in everyday life, Chilonga’s paintings and sculptures reflect memory, labour, and shared human experience. Drawing from a lifelong practice shaped by portraiture, abstraction, and figurative storytelling, his work captures moments that educate, move, and quietly resonate.

🕘 Mon to Sat 9.00 AM to 6.00 PM
🕛 Sun 12.00 PM to 6.00 PM
📍 Free entry

Art of Connection | Sena Art X Art Direction @ Hyatt Regency | Ongoing through May 2026

In collaboration with Hyatt Hotels Westlands Nairobi, the exhibition ‘The Art of Connection’ unfolds across five floors as a living exhibition curated by Myrna (Art Direction) and Linda (Sena Art Gallery). Bringing together contemporary artists and designers from Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Tanzania, the exhibition explores art as a space of encounter, movement, and exchange.

Set within a hotel—a place of passage and pause—the exhibition remains fluid, continuously evolving as new works are introduced weekly. Through this platform, Myrna Art Direction and Sena Art Gallery connect artists with exclusive audiences, fostering dialogue, visibility, mentorship and sustainable creative practices across art, travel, and business.

Artists and designers are invited to submit their work and join the exhibition. Portfolios (PDF) can be submitted via WhatsApp to +254 115 784 649.

I.N.N.A.T.E.L.Y N.A.T.U.R.E | She’Rustica | Two Grapes | End date TBD

She’Rustica By Design creates functional artistry and spatial design. I create bespoke, functional art and installation art
from discarded material, that embodies a blended rustic aesthetic. She’Rustica’s art is the result of a process of imagining and creating a delicate soft beauty from a rough and rigid world. Intentionally crossing the realm of physicality to invoke a state of introspection; to ask yourself, “What is my little thing?”. During the duration of the showcase there will be live interactions with the artist – keep an eye on socials @twograpes & @she’rustica plus @in.nairobi for details.

Land, Politics & Ownership | The African Arts Trust | Until 28 February 2026

Land, Politics, and Ownership’ is an interdisciplinary project that interrogates the visual culture and contested realities of contemporary Addis Ababa through history. The collaborative practice of curator and artist Dagim Abebe and artist Natnael Ashebir navigates the tension between official historical archives and the intimate, often-erased archives of personal memory and lived experience. They employ a material language of texture, collage, and assembled media, using charcoal, soil, photographs, and printmaking techniques like image transfer and silkscreen. This approach makes the politics of space not just visible, but tangible, inviting viewers to physically and emotionally engage with the weight of displacement and the fragile acts of protection that define the modern urban landscape.

Wahenga Wa Sanaa | Nairobi National Museum | Until 2027

Wahenga wa Sanaa: Tracing two centuries of artistic legacy 1800 – 1980

Wahenga wa Sanaa brings the NMK collection into public view, tracing powerful themes of cultural identity, spirituality, history and politics, nature and environment, and the growth of formal art training and supporting institutions. The exhibition honours the Wahenga—the wise ancestors and cultural forebearers whose creativity laid the foundation for generations of artists. As we create art today, we walk in their footsteps and continue to build on their enduring legacy. The exhibition is funded by the Kenya Museum Society. Read more about the exhibition in our article.