“Nairobi is going through a creative renaissance,” Thandiwe Muriu , referencing the city’s burgeoning experimental music scene, cultural festivals and local sense of style. The self-taught photographer was born and raised in Kenya’s capital, and, over the years, has developed a particular interest in showcasing and celebrating Africa’s vibrant mix of cultures, textiles and textures to a global audience. The artist has since become known for a colourful, clean and bright approach to image-making.
Muriu is passionate about celebrating and empowering women, creating works rooted in self-love and identity. “CAMO was the first time I shot something truly for myself. I started by asking myself: 鈥渨hat do I like?鈥 The answer was simple – colours. I expanded the concept of African colours and played with patterns. The resulting images are fun, playful and unapologetically African.” These bold portraits are now on view in , an exhibition presented by Galerie Kitsun茅 & 193 Gallery in New York.
Muriu positions subjects in clothes which match their corresponding backdrops, creating a kind of optical illusion or camouflage. Everyday objects like bottle caps, Coca-Cola cans and fans become accessories. Green and orange strainers, for example, are reimagined as a pair of sunglasses. Transformation and adaptation are key to this body of work. Traditional architectural hairstyles 鈥 which Muriu explains are being forgotten 鈥 are adapted into fresh interpretations. It’s a process the artist calls “modernising history.”
Colors of Thandiwe runs until 4 September |
All images courtesy Thandiwe Muriu, from the series CAMO.
