Nairobi Re-viewed

A Group Exhibition

21st May to 1st June 2016

Nairobi Re-viewed: A Group Show featuring work by Osborne Macharia, Anne Mwiti, Dennis Muraguri, Phillip Kere, Aron Boruya and Gakunju Kaigwa.

“Everyone gains agency when their true story gets into the public domain. Gain agency for yourself by creating.” – Dr. Njoki Ngumi

Nairobi Re-viewed is about the artist creating themselves within their city. Through their work, the artists force us to see Nairobi as they see it without the cliché skyline. Nairobi is about its people and relationships. The artists explore this human intimacy in their own languages.

ABOUT THE  ARTISTS

Osborne Macharia

Osborne was born and raised in Nairobi. He was initially an architect before turning to his passion, photography. He work is made available through ProKraft – a talent management agency for professional photographers. Through his photography and digital art imagines a “League of Extravagant Grannies” (The Nyanye Series). Macharia places three elderly women, against the backdrop of power, confidence, wealth and immortality for this group exhibition.

Anne Mwiti

Anne is an artist who lives in Nairobi. She lectures at the Department of Fine Art and Design, Kenyatta University. She has been practicing art for over 10 years. For this Exhibition, Anne in her mixed media paintings looks at urbanization and its very personal effects, mainly on women.

Dennis Muraguri

Dennis is a Nairobi based artist. His work employs sculptures, paintings, and installations, often in unexpected combinations that traverse traditional practice boundaries. He has been a professional artist for over 10 years. For this Exhibition, Dennis through his mixed media paintings and prints uses matatus in a colourful metaphor for Nairobi’s vibrancy, creativity and work ethic.

Aron Boruya

Aron is young Nairobi based artist. He recently moved to Nairobi. His work reflects upon his experience of the city having been brought up in rural Kenya and gives the viewer a new lens of Nairobi.For this exhibition Aron who blends a photography technique and delicate hand painted scenes, captures the city’s solitary characters in silhouettes that colorfully bring out the personalities of Nairobi’s bystanders.

Phillip Kere

Phillip is a young artist who lives and works in Nairobi. His work is inspired by the BrushTu collective. He originally worked om murals and now works on canvas. Phillip’s work is highly influenced by graffiti style. In this show, he presents work that speaks about his experience as an artist – one that is reflective on Nairobi’s entrepreneurs.

Gakunju Kaigwa

was born in 1958 and raised in Kenya. Kaigwa is a seasoned sculptor who holds a Master’s degree in Public Art from the University of Dundee in Scotland. He has worked as an artist for over 30 years. Gakunju’s functional art pieces are relevant to this conversation over the city’s human population and its uncomfortable relationship with its wildlife and environment.