VISUAL ARTS 2017 A ROLLER COASTER RIDE

TICAH's Dream Kona opened up new spaces for Kenay artists to be creative, experimental

By Margaretta wa Gacheru (posted December 24, 2017)

                                  Michael Musyoka's Hunting Grounds IV was in the Young Guns show at Cricle Art Gallery 

2017 has been a thrilling roller coaster ride. Mostly the roll has been uphill with new spaces opening up all over town (from The Attic to Safron Spa to Dream Kona and BIEA to name a few). Meanwhile, the more established art centers mounted many amazing exhibitions (like ‘Proximity to Power’ at Circle Art, The Nude at One Off and Eclectic at Red Hill).

                                 Peterson Kamwaithi's Untitled etching was in One Off Gallery's Nudes 2 exhibition

There were also a number of downhill slides, as when The Art Space closed, Kuona Trust got robbed, finally died, but then resurrected as Kuona Artists Collective, and three artists were actually banned from exhibiting at the Nairobi National Museum.

There was never a dull moment in Nairobi’s robust art world in 2017 what with graffiti artists finding new walls to spray-paint all over town. Then there were cartoonists taking on larger issues like ‘Climate Change’, ‘Speaking Truth to Power’ and even Migration and refugee art power.

                                                One of Michael Soi's Motherboard images 

What’s more, a multitude of aspiring artists headed to the Dust Depo Studio to get their mentoring from Patrick Mukabi whose gentle greatness was recognized recently when the newly re-elected President and the First Lady, Uhuru and Margaret Kenyatta attended Dust Depo’s annual Christmas party!

Artists did themselves proud this year, what with their representing Kenyan Art at the Venice Biennale and at other international art events.

                                 Paul Onditi was among the Kenyan artists who exhibited at the Venice Biennale 2017

Some won major awards as did Maral Bolouri and Elias Mong’ora at the APSA L’ Atelier in South Africa. Meanwhile others, like Cyrus Kabiru and Wangeci Mutu had their iconic art picked to be part of the new Zeiss Museum of Contemporary Art Africa based in Cape Town.

           Cyrus Kabiru's C-Stunners were given a whole room for their exhibition at the Zeiss Museum of Modern Art Africa

And in spite of the somewhat toxic political climate that disrupted many aspects of Kenyans’ everyday lives, various art institutions provided a valuable sense of continuity to our cultural life. For example, there was Circle Art’s annual East African Art Auction (which is now renamed The Art Auction – East Africa), GoDown’s Manjano Art Competition and Exhibition, and even the Sarit Centre’s Kenya Art Fair, all of which went on like clockwork in the course of the year.

                      Elias Mong'ora's Nairobi scene at Manjano 2017 also features in Footprints' 'Nairobi 2523' book

And while increasing numbers of artists traveled abroad this year, either to accompany their exhibitions or attend workshops or art residencies, Brush tu Art Studio successfully organized Kenya’s second international artist residency. (The first was at Paa ya Paa starting in the 1970s and running through 2000’s).

Brush tu Art sculptor Boniface Kimani's 'Anguish' (cast in cotton thread& polyester resin) at Polka Dot Gallery

Meanwhile, the corporate community has increasingly come to appreciate the role of contemporary Kenyan art. Among the banks especially, we’ve seen how the Kenya Commercial Bank expanded its art collection of works by Kenyans this year. So have the Commercial Bank of Africa and the I&M Bank. Meanwhile, Barclays was the backer of the L’Atelier competition and just before the year ran out, the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) supported a beautiful exhibition of a dozen Kenyan artists the Kempinski Hotel. 

(Peter Elungat's Garden and Coster Ojwang's Gilgil both showed at Kempinski courtesty of GTB&Little Art Gallery)

Malls have also picked up on the value of beautifying their centres with Kenyan artists’ works. For instance, Two Rivers and Lavington Mall both decided to decorate their public spaces with marvelous mosaic tile murals by Mary Ann Muthoni. The Hub selected Peter Ngugi’s concept of a monumental Coffee Tree which now stands 12 feet tall in the centre of the newest Karen mall.

                                   Peter Ngugi's Coffee Tree at The Hub in Karen (made out of spoons and soft steel)

But even as major investors like Garden City and PriceWaterhouseCooper have supported important art projects in the recent past (sculptures by Peterson Kamwathi and Maggie Otieno at Garden City; monumental wall artworks by Dennis Muraguri and El Tayeb at PWC), public interest among ordinary Kenyans has also picked up.

In fact, there were several ‘affordable art’ show in 2017. They attracted large crowds and enabled folks with smaller pocket books to buy Kenyan art. There were shows at Nairobi National Museum (sponsored by Kenya Museum Society), the Polka Dot Gallery and the newly formed Kuona Artists Collective.

                              Paul Njihia and James Njoroge drew caricatures of passing art lovers at 2017 exhibitions 

But one of the biggest disappointment of 2017 was the downing of the iconic Mau Mau Freedom Fighter at Paa ya Paa. Samwel Wanjau’s priceless sculpture can potentially be repaired and restored to its prior glory. But this malicious deed deserves to be investigated by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Sports.

If there is one good deed that the Ministry could do in 2018, it’s stepping in to repair Wanjau’s Freedom Fighter and put it in a safe and secure place so it can be enjoyed by both locals and people from all over the world.

Nairobi has already been called the ‘economic’ hub of East Africa. The arts initiative of 2017 confirm the city is also the Arts Hub of East Africa.