Veronica P. with artworks by Egyptian artists Aishraf Rassian at Ikigai in Spring valley
ONLINE ART
GALLERY BROADENS SCOPE TO INCLUDE EGYPTIAN ARTISTS
By
Margaretta wa Gacheru (posted December 12, 2017)
GravitArt is
an online art gallery that’s been hosting a wide array of East African artists
based in Nairobi since early this year. It was officially launched with a
Pop-Up Exhibition at the Safron Spa in Westlands last April.
Art by Shabu Mwangi is online at Gravitart
Both the
exhibition and the website feature mainly Kenyan artists like Peter Elungat,
Dennis Muraguri, Shabu Mwangi, Michael Soi and many others. But one will also
found works by a broad assortment of East African artists, such as Fitsum Berhe
from Ethiopia, El Tayeb Dawelbait and Yassir Ali from Sudan. Artworks from
Congo, Benin and Nigeria are also on the website.
A Window by Bassem Yousri
GravitArt’s second pop-up exhibition currently up at Ikigia Business Centre (off General Mathenge Road) reflects the mission of the gallery’s founder Veronica P. It’s to make the online gallery more inclusive of African art.
GravitArt’s second pop-up exhibition currently up at Ikigia Business Centre (off General Mathenge Road) reflects the mission of the gallery’s founder Veronica P. It’s to make the online gallery more inclusive of African art.
Art By Aishraf Rassian
Entitled
‘Hidden Stories from Egypt’, the exhibition features nearly 50 paintings by
seven Egyptians and one Sudanese artist.
A woman & a flower by Dr. Souad Abdel Rasoul at Ikigai
Two of the artists have been in Kenyan severally and even exhibited in various Nairobi galleries. That is how Veronica got to know Dr. Souad Abdel Rasoul and Salah Elmur, both of whom live in Cairo and were happy to introduce Veronica to a number of their artist friends.
Two of the artists have been in Kenyan severally and even exhibited in various Nairobi galleries. That is how Veronica got to know Dr. Souad Abdel Rasoul and Salah Elmur, both of whom live in Cairo and were happy to introduce Veronica to a number of their artist friends.
The eight
artists whose works reveal the “Hidden stories from Egypt” all have distinctive
styles. All also have had the good fortune to study fine art up through the university
with Souad having received both a MFA in the history of Modern Art and a Ph.D
in the Philosophy of Contemporary and Modern Art.
“Ikigia in
Japanese translates to mean ‘when you find your purpose you have found your
ikigai,’” explains Veronica who discovered this perfect spot for a pop-up show
through a fellow Spaniard.
Adding that
apart from wanting to continue expanding the range of African artists featured
on the website, she’s intent of building her network of both artists and art
collectors.
“Currently,
I have friends who are representing GravitArt in their respective countries
[and regions],” she says. “One is in New York where we plan to have our next
pop-up exhibition next year. Another is in Santiago, Chile, and another is in
Madrid, [Spain],” she added.
In all of these
global cities, Veronica wants to introduce regional collectors to Africa Art,
particularly Kenyan art. But she also wants to showcase other contemporary
African artists who have not yet gained visibility or renown in other parts of
the world.
Go online
and discover how reasonably priced the Egyptians’ art is. The show will be up
until December 15, but the beauty of an online exhibition is that if you live
in or around Nairobi, you can easily obtain the works by getting in touch with
Veronica directly.
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