EDWIN NJONGO ON ORIGINALITY DRAFT

Edwin Njongo is not yet a well-known artist, leave alone a brand, unlike Michael Soi’s (whose name and colorful bags are widely known as chic fashion statements from Kenya and Africa) or Boniface Maina whose works of sculptural paintings are just as original and striking as Soi’s. Yet Njongo rivals both artists for their wit, originality, and subtle sense of humor that ripples through all three artists’ works.

Yet that anonymity may change soon enough, his anonymity forgotten when more art-lovers see a whole gallery-fully of his works of one of the most eye-catching, fun-loving, quirky and original as the Kenyan artist whose art we first saw just six months ago when he had just a few of his paintings in a group exhibition at the Karen Country Club.

Otherwise, we just saw his first solo exhibition at Banana Hill Gallery which unfortunately just closed there last weekend, but not before we (at BD Life) had a chance to see his BH exhibition and found his paintings and drawings just as proficiently executed, amusing, quirky and original                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        as were his works that we first saw at the Karen Club.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

All of the  are figurative painters who love bright colors and irony as they break through conventionality and conformity to present an originality that is unique, all their own. All clearly feel free to explore own their own mind in order to feel and make way for fresh, new, and even spontaneous ideas to speak to their brushes, and in Maina, also speak to their carpentry skills to start on another series of works that are both sculptural and painterly, an express that issue that we find most appealing about Maina’s work.

The issues of conventionality and copy-cat conformity that plague many younger local artists haven’t, most likely been tutored in the importance of the imagination, innovation and originality in their art practice. The antidotes to the copy-cat influence that the acclaimed Tanzanian-Kenyan-painter-sculptor and cofounder of Paa ya Paa Gallery (the first African-owned gallery in Kenya) Elimo                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Njau used to say in his heyday when he ‘preached’ against conformity and basically plagiarism: ‘Copying puts God to sleep.’ Its influence kills originality, makes artists lazy, and is a quick and easy means of making cash, but it will never make them great.

In Njongo’s case, he may or may not achieved greatness, but it wont’s be for want of original ideas and expression. He takes some of the usual topics that many artists like Dennis Muraguri, Michael Chalo, and Samuel Njui take, namely Matatas, Piki Piki’s, Bicycles and transportation generally. But he takes his own original way of framing and eye-balling his gazeand perspective.

 

 

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