Exhibition: Divine Discontent by Beatrice Wanjiku, Apr. 30 – May 24 2016 @ One Off Contemporary Art Gallery

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Opening/Private View: April 30, 2016
Venue: One Off Contemporary Art Gallery

Until: May 24, 2016

About
People believe in certain manners, predetermined conduct often according to pre-described behavioural norms of society. Anything counter to this is normally punished whereas “normalcy” is encouraged and rewarded.

In this series the straitjacket is a metaphor that explores boundaries, the idea of boundaries (social and self) and an imposed system of thought. The works delve into how we are anchored by social conditioning and expectation, always bound at the expense of what we desire. In this series the body of work is a reflection of the outward expression of our inner and intimate existence. The figures in these works explore the duality of the state of being and the natural intrinsic state of fulfilment and happiness.

Beatrice Wanjiku – Nairobi – April 2016

http://www.oneoffafrica.com/upcoming-exhibition.html

Democracy my piss

Exhibition: Democracy My Piss, Apr. 28 – May 26 2016 @ Kuona Trust

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Democracy my piss
Opening: April 28, 2016
Venue: Kuona Trust
Time: 6 pm

Exhibition Runs Until: May 28, 2016

About
This is an art project and exhibition looking at democracy in Africa, taking common observations of political elections in Africa as a starting point.

Often ‘democracy’ in Africa is established by the cycle: Queue – Voting – Dispute/Violence/Compromise – Long years between elections – Stasis – Queue. African politics feature accounts of unconstitutional extension of presidential terms, manipulation of electoral laws, party hopping, patronage and violence, and very rare nominal transitions when an incumbent is out-voted.

On the other end are ordinary people who are subjects to these politics being positioned as bit-players, pawns, the supporting cast to a centralized system of influential men and women but still they queue in millions to vote. Are they exercising a right denied for too long? Is there a need to make a mark even though that mark is mostly ignored? Is democracy an experiment? Is Africa defining its own kind of democracy?

http://kuonatrust.org/democracy-my-piss/

Blurred Lines

Exhibition: Blurred Lines by Gakunju Kaigwa and Justus Kyalo, Apr. 16 – May 7 2016 @ The Art Space

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Blurred Lines
Exhibition Opening “Blurred Lines” by Gakunju Kaigwa and Justus Kyalo

Date: Saturday 16th April 2016
Venue: The Art Space, off Riverside Drive
Time: 12 pm to 5 pm

Exhibition runs until: May 7, 2016

About
“Blurred Lines” explores the divide between an object that is purely aesthetic and one that is functional.

Kaigwa’s wooden sculptures are at once forms collected from Kenyan landscapes. In one of his pieces the Menengai Crater is sliced to reveal a table top, in another the Loiyangalani River Bed with all its tributaries, form the surface of a coffee table. Kaigwa, inspired by these magical landscapes captures their beauty in art pieces that are then formed into coffee tables, mirrors, seats etc. Combining wood, resin, glass and metal, Kaigwa plays with form and function.

Kyalo manipulates galvanised iron sheeting using acid and paint to create masterpeices that tell the hidden and beautiful stories around the process of disintegration and decay. In this process of experimentation, Kyalo challenges the way we look at beauty and form.

About the Artists

About Gakunju Kaigwa
Born in 1958 and raised in Kenya, Gakunju Kaigwa is a seasoned sculptor who holds a Master’s degree in Public Art from the University of Dundee in Scotland. He has worked as an artist for over 30 years.

Although he began his career in painting, Kaigwa discovered his real passion in the early 1980’s as a sculptor. He works with wood, glass, steel, resin, bronze and many other materials using each medium to express different ideas and forms. Having a naturally curious mind, Kaigwa is inspired by anything and everything, which he then tailors to tell a story through his sculptures.

His work has been shown both locally and internationally.

A mentor to many in the arts industry, Kaigwa also teaches at the International School of Kenya.

About Justus Kyalo
An abstract artist, Justus Kyalo redefines himself through the use of his materials, which in the past have included, canvas, paper and galvanized steel.

Born in 1972 and raised in Kenya, Kyalo has worked as an artist for over 20 years.

His work has been shown both locally and internationally.

Perspective Wrap Party

Perspective – Wrap Party/ Finissage, Apr. 8 2016 @ Goethe-Institut – Auditorium

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Perspective Wrap Party
Just A Band invites all of you to celebrate the finissage of the exhibition, PERSPECTIVE!

Date and time: Friday, 8th April 2016, 8.00 pm
Venue: Goethe-Institut, Auditorium
Admission: free

About
This Wrap Party is the finissage of Just A Band’s third video art exhibition, PERSPECTIVE. The exhibition is focused on stories told through the first person narrative.

The Wrap Party wants to celebrate the exhibition as well as the work of Just A Band in general. This is one of the very last chances to see Just A Band live before they take a break.

Artists & Friends by Dale Webster | via Red Hill Art Gallery

Exhibition: Artists & Friends by Dale Webster, Apr. 3 2016 @ Red Hill Art Gallery

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Artists & Friends by Dale Webster | via Red Hill Art Gallery
Artists & Friends by Dale Webster | via Red Hill Art Gallery
Opening: April 3, 2016
Venue: Red Hill Art Gallery
Time: 11 am – 5 pm

The exhibition will be accompanied by a dance performance of the Trips Team of the Africa Yoga Project.

About
“This exhibition is the second at Red Hill Art Gallery to show my portraits of some of the extraordinary artists currently working in Nairobi and beyond. I have called this exhibition ‘Artists and Friends’, a nod to the Sargent Show in London last year, and the deliberate ambiguity of the title. All are, I hope, friends and most are artists.
The last few years has seen an explosion of visual art in Kenya, artists of a new generation whose themes and subjects are multifarious, but all of whom share the same serious concern for the nature of the human condition, and it is this that interests me in my choice of subject, the artists themselves.” – Dale Webster