OCTOBER WEEKEND CORNACOPIA OF ART

By Margaretta wa Gacheru (October 2020)

Following on the heels of Circle Art Gallery’s first Online East African Art Auction, the Gallery will be hosting the artwork of Boniface Maina through November 28^th. Opening with his first solo exhibition at Circle Art this past Wednesday night, the cofounder of Brush tu Artists Collective is exhibiting a wonderfully quirky collection of paintings entitled ‘Waiting, Watching, Wishing’. What makes his artwork such a fascinating array of imagery is that Maina cryptically admits that his art is autobiographical. That means every painting begs you to ask, what was in his mind to inspire him to paint his lean, angular man in this position or that? It’s part of the fun of a Boniface Maina exhibition.

There are other Kenyan artists with a similar inclination to have one or more characters in their art reflect the painter’s inner emotions and aspirations. Paul Onditi is one, having invented his adventurous Smokey who seems to travel in four dimensions. There is also Michael Musyoka, another cofounder of Brush tu, whose men are just as curious and engaging as Maina’s.

Meanwhile, this weekend marks a bonanza for Kenyan art lovers since Circle Art is just one of several venues offering a plethora of paintings and sculptures by local artists.

From Friday night through Sunday, the 8^th annual Affordable Art Show will be on at Kenya National Museum. Featuring no less than 156 new works by 80 local artists, the annual event is organized by the Kenya Museum Society to raise funds for the Museum. It’s KMS volunteers who curate the show, selecting works by artists so keen to be shown at the Museum that they stand (socially distanced) in line, waiting their turn to have their art accepted or rejected by the KMS top team including Wendy Karmali, Dr Marla Stone and Lydia Galavu.

But due to the Pandemic, the selection process has been transformed by safety practices.

“It’s meant that we only feature just over 150 artworks rather than 420 as in years past,” says Dr Stone who is Chief Coordinator of the show.

But even though the number of artists and artworks have been cut down as has the numbers who can get into the show at a time, the big advantage of the KMS event is still its democratic character. One can be a well-established artist or a newcomer hoping to have his or her works shown. Either way, all the artists are assured an ample attendance, especially at the opening Gala night.

Without doubt, the big draw for many who come to the Affordable Art Show is because the art is not allowed to be sold for anything over Sh99,000. That constraint keeps some artists away since they feel their art has a higher value than that.

But given the pandemic has made it difficult for many artists to find audiences and prospective buyers, very few will complain about the price tags that end up on their art this weekend. Instead, the spirit of the show is likely to be just as ebullient and joyful as in years past, especially as there’s live music by a quintet featuring Keith Pearson and Donald Thomas among others.

Finally, art lovers should save their Saturday, October 31^st for the opening of One Off Gallery’s important ‘Then and Now’ exhibition. Featuring artists who have been with One Off as well as with its precursor, RaMoMa (Rahimtulla Museum of Modern Art) which sadly shut down ten years ago after a successful decade-long run, Carol Lees (chief gallerist at both venues) has curated a unique exhibition.

Drawing from RaMoMa’s permanent collection which resides with Lees, the show will juxtapose artists’ works from the past and the present. This will allow the public to see just how much the artists have evolved in the course of ten years or more.

Not all the artists exhibiting were with RaMoMa, but the vast majority were and those whose art is part of the RaMoMa permanent collection will not be for sale. But all the contemporary artwork will be.

 The art that we will have an opportunity to see at One Off is work by almost 20 of Kenya’s leading painters, sculptors, and printmakers.

They include Anthony Okello, Beatrice Wanjiku, Bertiers Mbatia, Camille Wekesa, James Mbuthia, Kyalo Justus, Mandy Bonnell, Mary Collis, Patrick Mukabi, Peter Ngugi, Peterson Kamwathi, Richard Kimathi, Simon Muriithi, Sophie Walboeffe, Syowia Kyambi, Thom Ogonga, Timothy Brooke and Xavier Verhoest.

The show will run through November 22, and all safety protocols will be observed, says Carol Lees.