KU'S KOBO 6--DRAFT

Working artists based at Kobo Trust hosted six Kenyatta University students during a one day ‘Occupy Studio’ exhibition mounted last weekend. The show, which occupied two levels of the gallery at Kobo, featured art works created by the six during their three months residency at the Trust. “The works being exhibited are exclusively by the student interns,” the Kobo veteran artist, Onyis Martis told BD Life a few minutes before the official opening of the ‘Occupy Studioshow. Onyis wanted to make that point clear since nearly all the older artists with studios at Kobo had a hand in mentoring the half-dozen painter-interns from KU. Those who did include Paul Njihia (whose paintings are currently up at Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI) in his own ‘Common Ground’ group exhibition together with Peterson Kamwathi, Elias Mung’ora, and Morris Foit since the previous weekend), David Thuku, Lemek Sompoika, Onesmus Okamai, Tim Ochola, and Peter Elungat who had previously been at Kobo but shifted to Kitengela where he has more space and fresh air. What was equally of interest to me was the fact that prior to the six finding their way to Kobo Trust, the university had no formal relationship with the Trust. “It was us who found our way to Kobo after checking out several other art centres and feeling Kobo would be better since most of us are painters as are the artists here,” said Nadia Wanjiru, who had been mentored mainly by both Njihia and Onyis during her time at Kobo. That independent spirit paid off well for the students who said they had learned so much about the vibrant Nairobi art scene since they had been at Kobo. What’s more, like the Mwacha Mila exhibition at Alliance Francaise and the recent ‘Under 30’ showcase at Village Market, all the interns are in their twenties. For instance, Nadia is 21 while Christabel Juma is 23. So are and Robert Mugambi. Only Njeri Njoroge is 24 and Mbogo Weru 25. And while no one had observed as Kamathi had done after walking through the Mwacha Mila exhibition and took note that we are witnessing the next generation of contemporary Kenyan artists, one felt that this is also true at Kobo Trust. What was equally true about the art works pf this younger generation was the fascinating mix of the subjects that interest these young artists. For while one paints snakes and another was a tattoo artist before he went to KU, almost all the artists were fortunate to have elders who supported and even encouraged these young women and men to pursue their dreams and go on to follow their passions to where they led. This is in sharp contrast to the perspective held by most parents just a few years ago when they couldn’t believe that professional artist could earn a living, leave alone a livelihood that was sustainable and enough to raise of family. One intern was washing his father’s paint brushes before he was five. “I had a passion for fine art flowing through my blood from an early fa=u Working artists based at Kobo Trust hosted six Kenyatta University artists last weekend during an ‘Occupy Studio’ exhibition