Tulifanya Displays Kenyan Art
Feb 29, 2004
IT is always a welcome idea to be treated to a new style of art.
By Stephen SsenkaabaIT is always a welcome idea to be treated to a new style of art. So when three Kenyan artists presented their work for exhibition at Tulifanya gallery, on Hannington Road last weekend, the public received it with open arms.
The three-week exhibition, which started on February 21, features works by Martin Muhoro, 23,a self-taught painter based in Nairobi, Wilson Mwangi, 28, and Anthony Okello, 28, a Nairobi based professional artist.
There are over ten works on display by each of the three artists and a captivating uniqueness about each artist’s work.
Mwangi is very versatile and to call his art old fashioned, would be to put limits to his boundless style. Yet, a lot of Mwangi’s paintings depict traces of gothic designs, carefully interwoven into various contemporary styles.
Although both deaf and dumb, Mwangi is able to successfully communicate through his art without so much as a word.
His highly expressive work showcases a blend of various painting styles borrowed from different parts of Africa. He uses geometric patterns to create space and interesting variations into his images. Inspired by his rich Kenyan heritage, Mwangi’s art work explores life in the wild in a typical Kenyan setting.
Using acrylics on canvas, he applies a mixture of realism and abstract painting to portray various animal and bird species of his native Kenya. His choice of colour is unrestricted, leaving him at liberty to experiment with a variety of colours, ranging from the reds, greens to blues, white and browns.
Mwangi’s greatest asset is his ability to put so much together in so little space.
Okello’s strength lies in his skillful use of colour, textural richness and his reliance on shape to bring uniqueness to his work. He employs surrealism as a tool to portray a sombre yet realistic view of life.
His subjects dwell much on the reflective, somewhat meditative themes.
One of his works entitled Deep meditation shows a woman clad in long orange garb, with a raised head, apparently lost in thoughts. Her sad face reveals a troubled soul, who has lost all hope.
His other works are an exploration of the spiritual and emotional part of human nature.
Using a wise selection of colour, Okello has the uncanny ability to liven up what would otherwise be tormenting images.
To most of his works, he applies both dim, shadowy colours which he contrasts with buoyant reds, blues and creams.
His penchant for shapely images is revealed in the interesting curves he uses in some of his paintings. His use of mixed media on most of his paintings brings out variety and imaginative skills. It is neither the orderliness of Muhoro work, nor his adherence to particular lines and patterns that bring out the beauty of his work. Infact, there is little if any, of all this. Rather, it is his innocent, carefree style that does the trick.
Some critics have called his style naïve, but therein lies his strength. Muhoro goes about his work with childhood innocence, painting pictures of wild animals in different settings. His oil and acrylic on canvas paintings are scattered with disorderly, overlapping, traces of colour. Yet, through his work, Muhoro comes across as a good manipulator of colour with a bias towards yellows, browns, purples, greens and white.
Muhoro dwells on animal and bird species. The few human figures portray Mahoro as an artist who is slowly discovering himself through his art.
The three-week exhibition, which started on February 21, features works by Martin Muhoro, 23,a self-taught painter based in Nairobi, Wilson Mwangi, 28, and Anthony Okello, 28, a Nairobi based professional artist.
There are over ten works on display by each of the three artists and a captivating uniqueness about each artist’s work.
Mwangi is very versatile and to call his art old fashioned, would be to put limits to his boundless style. Yet, a lot of Mwangi’s paintings depict traces of gothic designs, carefully interwoven into various contemporary styles.
Although both deaf and dumb, Mwangi is able to successfully communicate through his art without so much as a word.
His highly expressive work showcases a blend of various painting styles borrowed from different parts of Africa. He uses geometric patterns to create space and interesting variations into his images. Inspired by his rich Kenyan heritage, Mwangi’s art work explores life in the wild in a typical Kenyan setting.
Using acrylics on canvas, he applies a mixture of realism and abstract painting to portray various animal and bird species of his native Kenya. His choice of colour is unrestricted, leaving him at liberty to experiment with a variety of colours, ranging from the reds, greens to blues, white and browns.
Mwangi’s greatest asset is his ability to put so much together in so little space.
Okello’s strength lies in his skillful use of colour, textural richness and his reliance on shape to bring uniqueness to his work. He employs surrealism as a tool to portray a sombre yet realistic view of life.
His subjects dwell much on the reflective, somewhat meditative themes.
One of his works entitled Deep meditation shows a woman clad in long orange garb, with a raised head, apparently lost in thoughts. Her sad face reveals a troubled soul, who has lost all hope.
His other works are an exploration of the spiritual and emotional part of human nature.
Using a wise selection of colour, Okello has the uncanny ability to liven up what would otherwise be tormenting images.
To most of his works, he applies both dim, shadowy colours which he contrasts with buoyant reds, blues and creams.
His penchant for shapely images is revealed in the interesting curves he uses in some of his paintings. His use of mixed media on most of his paintings brings out variety and imaginative skills. It is neither the orderliness of Muhoro work, nor his adherence to particular lines and patterns that bring out the beauty of his work. Infact, there is little if any, of all this. Rather, it is his innocent, carefree style that does the trick.
Some critics have called his style naïve, but therein lies his strength. Muhoro goes about his work with childhood innocence, painting pictures of wild animals in different settings. His oil and acrylic on canvas paintings are scattered with disorderly, overlapping, traces of colour. Yet, through his work, Muhoro comes across as a good manipulator of colour with a bias towards yellows, browns, purples, greens and white.
Muhoro dwells on animal and bird species. The few human figures portray Mahoro as an artist who is slowly discovering himself through his art.