‘Seasons Within A Season’ A Solo Exhibition by Tabitha Wa Thuku, Jun. 19 – Jul. 20 2024 @ Circle Art Gallery, Victoria Square – Riara Road.

by with One Comment art exhibitsevents

Opening: June 19, 2024
Venue: Circle Art Gallery, Victoria Square – Riara Road
Time: 6-8 PM

Exhibition Dates: Until July 20, 2024.

About
Born in the year of Independence, Tabitha Wa Thuku began her creative practice as a young, self-taught artist and one of the only female artists of her generation. With a career of over three decades, Wa Thuku has developed a painterly language unencumbered by convention, her works distinguished by a brooding palette which ranges from subtle browns to rich reds. 

Wa Thuku originally studied Textiles and Clothing Technology at Kenya Polytechnic, then from 1996 to 1999 she attended the Buruburu Institute of Fine Arts. She has undertaken various workshops and residencies to develop a wide range of techniques, demonstrated in her extensive body of work. In addition to her own artistic production, she has also worked as an art educator, teaching and mentoring children and young artists. Wa Thuku has exhibited regularly throughout her career in Kenya and abroad, including in The Netherlands, Italy, Hong Kong and Denmark.

In 2022 her work was featured in a retrospective exhibition alongside Yony Waite and Theresa Musoke at Circle Art Gallery. Her work is included in private and public collections in Kenya, including those of the National Museum of Kenya, the Safaricom collection, PwC and MMC Africa Law.

‘Seasons Within A Season’ A Solo Exhibition by Tabitha Wa Thuku, Jun. 19 – Jul. 20 2024 @ Circle Art Gallery, Victoria Square – Riara Road.

by with One Comment art exhibitsevents

Opening: June 19, 2024
Venue: Circle Art Gallery, Victoria Square – Riara Road
Time: 6-8 PM

Exhibition Dates: Until July 20, 2024.

About
Born in the year of Independence, Tabitha Wa Thuku began her creative practice as a young, self-taught artist and one of the only female artists of her generation. With a career of over three decades, Wa Thuku has developed a painterly language unencumbered by convention, her works distinguished by a brooding palette which ranges from subtle browns to rich reds. 

Wa Thuku originally studied Textiles and Clothing Technology at Kenya Polytechnic, then from 1996 to 1999 she attended the Buruburu Institute of Fine Arts. She has undertaken various workshops and residencies to develop a wide range of techniques, demonstrated in her extensive body of work. In addition to her own artistic production, she has also worked as an art educator, teaching and mentoring children and young artists. Wa Thuku has exhibited regularly throughout her career in Kenya and abroad, including in The Netherlands, Italy, Hong Kong and Denmark.

In 2022 her work was featured in a retrospective exhibition alongside Yony Waite and Theresa Musoke at Circle Art Gallery. Her work is included in private and public collections in Kenya, including those of the National Museum of Kenya, the Safaricom collection, PwC and MMC Africa Law.

Exhibition: ‘Immortal Objects’ by Donald Wasswa, Jun. 14 – Jul. 8 2023 @ Circle Art Gallery, Victoria Square – Riara Road.

by with No Comment art exhibitsevents

Opening: June 14, 2023

Venue: Circle Art Gallery, Victoria Square – Riara Road

Time: from 6 PM

Until July 8, 2023

About

Donald Wasswa (Ugandan, b. 1984)  lives and works in Entebbe, Uganda.  In this exhibition, Wasswa explores the interconnectedness between different media; sculptures, paintings and drawings with each discipline informing the other. The title, ‘Immortal Objects’, describes the cycle of how his ideas and thoughts become physical objects and how the audience then connects with and interprets the work. These reactions go on to inspire new works.

Wasswa studied Art and Design at Kyambogo University leaving in 2007. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions in Uganda and abroad, including: East African Encounters, Cromwell Place, London, 2021; Degenerative Evolution of the Living, Absa Art Gallery, Johannesburg, 2018; To Live is to Become, Afriart Gallery, Kampala, 2017; Zikunta, Kampala, 2016. In 2019 Wasswa was one of the selected artists for Ouagadougou Sculpture Biennial and showed at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London. In 2022 he returned to 1-54 and exhibited at Untitled Miami Art Fair with Steve Turner Gallery. He was the 2016 recipient of the Merit Award in the Absa L’Atelier competition. Wasswa is currently based in Kampala where he is the founder/proprietor of Artpunch Studio.

Exhibition: ‘Immortal Objects’ by Donald Wasswa, Jun. 14 – Jul. 8 2023 @ Circle Art Gallery, Victoria Square – Riara Road.

by with No Comment art exhibitsevents

Opening: June 14, 2023

Venue: Circle Art Gallery, Victoria Square – Riara Road

Time: from 6 PM

Until July 8, 2023

About

Donald Wasswa (Ugandan, b. 1984)  lives and works in Entebbe, Uganda.  In this exhibition, Wasswa explores the interconnectedness between different media; sculptures, paintings and drawings with each discipline informing the other. The title, ‘Immortal Objects’, describes the cycle of how his ideas and thoughts become physical objects and how the audience then connects with and interprets the work. These reactions go on to inspire new works.

Wasswa studied Art and Design at Kyambogo University leaving in 2007. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions in Uganda and abroad, including: East African Encounters, Cromwell Place, London, 2021; Degenerative Evolution of the Living, Absa Art Gallery, Johannesburg, 2018; To Live is to Become, Afriart Gallery, Kampala, 2017; Zikunta, Kampala, 2016. In 2019 Wasswa was one of the selected artists for Ouagadougou Sculpture Biennial and showed at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London. In 2022 he returned to 1-54 and exhibited at Untitled Miami Art Fair with Steve Turner Gallery. He was the 2016 recipient of the Merit Award in the Absa L’Atelier competition. Wasswa is currently based in Kampala where he is the founder/proprietor of Artpunch Studio.

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

by with No Comment art exhibitsevents

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: The A.I.R. Brush Artist in Residence, Sept. 22 – Oct. 6 2017 @ Kobo Trust – Riara Road

by with No Comment art exhibits


Opening: September 22, 2017
Venue: Kobo Trust, Riara Road
Time: 6-9 pm
Until: October 6, 2017

The second cohort of artists in our residence programme, A.I.R.Brush, features Stacey Okparaverro (Nigeria), Timothy Wandulu (Rwanda) and Lionel Yamadjako (Benin).

About the Artists
LIONEL YAMADJAKO is a multi-faceted contemporary artist from Benin Republic who works primarily with Painting, collage, photography, drawing and mixed media art. He grew up in the capital, Cotonou in the 80s and 90s and honed his creative skills from a tender age. He has attended numerous workshops and artist residencies across different African countries which have helped to shape his visual vocabulary over time. His most recent works speak of relationships between human beings and their day- to- day social, economic, religious and political activities. Lionel has exhibited in quite a number of African, Asian and European countries and lives and works in Cotonou, Benin when he is not travelling.

STACEY OKPARAVERO is a Nigerian based multidisciplinary artist and curator whose work addresses social, political and emotional issues that resonate deeply with her. She has worked under the mentorship of established Nigerian artist, Dr. Bruce Onobrakpeya for some time. This has in turn had some influence on her recent work as she explores the materials and expands the boundaries and possibilities of the techniques through rigorous research and experiments. Her recent participation in the 2016 Dakar Biennial established her presence on the international art scene. She has exhibited at the Suba Biennale, Dak’Art Off, in the prestigious Centre International de Conférences Abdou Diouf (CICAD) and Art X Lagos in November 2016, just to mention a few platforms that her works have graced.

TIMOTHY WANDULU is a 27-year-old contemporary artist of Rwandese nationality. He grew up in Kampala, an artful and super active city, whose environment saw him grow his innate gift of being creative in any medium that best delivers his message to the society around and beyond. He took up art in High School which equipped him with the skills and knowledge that have fueled his creative practice up to this day. His work addresses social-cultural themes revolving around taboos, belief systems, religion, education, gender issues and politics. He has exhibited Widely in Rwanda and abroad.

More info. here

Inquiries & RSVPs: brush.tu@gmail.com