Exhibition: Traceback by Muramuzi John Bosco (Uganda) & Sheila Bayley (Kenya), Apr. 22 – May 8 2023 @ Village Market – Rooftop.

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Opening: April 22, 2023

Venue: Village Market – Rooftop

Time: 1-7 PM

Until: May 8, 2023

About

Traceback presents works that unravel truths about African culture, nature, and rural-urban societies majorly inspired by East Africa in relation to human psychology subtly intertwined with the artists’ culturally rich backgrounds and perspectives. The exhibition also expounds generally on social issues including migration (in an African context) and their impact on our behavior and culture.
Like computing, tracing back to your roots can be a continuous and sometimes uncomfortable process. Still, it is as vital as progression, especially because culture shock or loss is inevitable in the process of embracing modernization. Although with the two artists’ opinions, these twists and turns shape our path and journey to finding our true selves.

Curated by Thadde Tewa (of @tewasartgallery).

Exhibition: ‘Forgive Us For Our Skins’ by Sujay Shah, Apr. 19 – May 20 2023 @ Circle Art Gallery, Victoria Square – Riara Road.

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Opening: April 19, 2023

Venue: Circle Art Gallery, Victoria Square – Riara Road

Time: from 6 PM

Until May 20, 2023

About

Raised in Kenya, Sujay Shah has experienced the intermingling of cultural ideologies, myths and histories. Shah is interested in how we can cope with colonial and cultural pasts, which are built into our surroundings.

In his recent paintings, Sujay deconstructs, satirises and critiques some of the harmful legacies of colonialism through the lens of big game trophy hunting. The presence of certain objects in Kenyan homes, country clubs and Safari lodges, such as skin rugs, animal parts and mounted animal heads serve as a haunting reminder of this violent history. 

In the depicted fictitious dioramas and still lives, acts of brutality go side by side with luxury items such as Victorian objects, silverware, candelabra, and cabinets challenging the notions of what it means to be “civilised.” Intertwining horror, humour and surrealism, the exasperated animals are subjected to various states of disrespect, further undermining and trivialising the convoluted nature of these hunts. 

Allusions are also made to early conservation practices that forcibly evicted people from their lands, recasting them as poachers, and equally absolving these hunters who treated Africa’s wilderness as theme parks. By portraying aspects of museum displays, these different moments are merged into a single image to suggest how the perception and romance of Africa, to the outside world, was fabricated, exoticized, and stereotyped. Images of which still perpetuate and haunt us today. 

Sujay Shah is currently living and working in Kenya. He graduated with a B.F.A in Painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2013. After college, Sujay lived in New York, working as a studio assistant for the artists Paul Bloodgood and Anne Chu. His work has been exhibited in the US (Savannah, Georgia and New York) and France (Lacoste). His work is in the permanent collection of the Savannah College of Art and Design. In Kenya he has been in group exhibitions at the Kenya Art Fair, If Not Now at the Cave Bureau, and I Will See What I Want To See at Circle Art Agency. In 2022, he was awarded a Venice travel fellowship by Wangechi Mutu Studio.

Exhibition: Swahili Carved Doors – Shared Influences – by Mbarak Abdulqadir & Marie-Pierre Ballarin, Apr. 17-30 2023 @ Alliance Française.

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Dates: April 17-30, 2023

Venue: Alliance Française

About

The Swahili Coast stretches from Mogadishu in Somalia in the North to Sofala in Mozambique in the South, encompassing islands such as Madagascar, Comoros, Zanzibar, Pemba and Lamu among others.

It is renowned for its impressive carved doors, often more than a century old. Of various styles, these doors come from a tradition that has its roots in the Middle Ages. They illustrate the variety of tastes, customs and populations that have coexisted, each owner choosing his door according to his social and community affiliation.

‘Looking Beyond’ Satellite Image Exhibition, Mar. 31 2023 @ Creativity Gallery, Nairobi National Museum.

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Opening: March 31, 2023

Venue: Nairobi National Museum

Time: from 6 PM

Entry: Free (Prior Registration Required)

About

“Looking Beyond” is an exhibition of satellite images curated by Filippo Maggia, promoted by the Italian ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency and Telespazio/e-GEOS. 

Through a series of images acquired by the Italian COSMO-SkyMed satellite constellation owned by ASI and the Italian Ministry of Defence, the project offers an opportunity to reflect on the contribution of satellite technologies to Earth observation, the promotion of sustainable development and the protection of natural and cultural heritage.

In order to attend the event on Friday 31st March, it is necessary to register by 29/3 by sending a confirmation email to Italian Cultural Centre, Nairobi.

Further, we remind that on all other days it is possible to visit the exhibition by purchasing a regular museum entrance ticket.