Nairobi News

Chillax

Kenyan artists showcase work at Safaricom exhibition – PHOTOS

A chance to explore Kenya’s beauty, wildlife, love, aspirations, hope and laughter was witnessed on Thursday evening with the display of works of 35 Kenyan painters and illustrators at the Safaricom exhibition.

The artists, whose paintings and illustrations featured in Safaricom’s annual This Is My Kenya campaign and 2019 calendar took moths to select the 36 out of more than 2,000 submissions from across the country, according to Sylvia Mulinge, Chief Customer Officer – Safaricom.

“We received over 2,000 submissions from all over the country, and worked with the Kenya National Museum as well as renowned art collectives including Kuona Collective, Brush Tu, Dust Depot and The GoDown Arts Centre to help us select the pieces that would feature in our calendar. The selection process was quite challenging since we received very many high quality submissions, but we’re happy with the outcome and are fortunate to be in a position to nurture talent, support and celebrate Kenyan artists,” said Mulinge.

HAPPINESS

Some of the artists present included Daniel Njoroge, Kathy Katuti, Edwin Jongo, Michael Soi, Ellam Ombula, Patrick Karanja, Dickson Were and Tobiko Rupante, among others.

Looking through a child’s eyes, the artist in one of the paintings on auction showed that money cannot buy happiness.

This was also a wonderful opportunity to rally behind Kenyan art and take it to the next level.

The campaign has been held every year since 2014, and brings together the country’s best talents in photography, painting and storytelling to showcase Kenya’s beauty and diversity through art.

This Is My Kenya seeks to celebrate local creative talent in writing, photography, film, illustration and painting and art, and has evolved into an award-winning campaign that not only offers valuable exposure to local creatives; it showcases Kenya’s wildlife, landscapes and cultures through powerful imagery and storytelling.

The artwork depicted the entire spectrum of Kenyan life from the hustle to put food on the table, the resilience of Kenyans in overcoming calamity such as the tribal clashes and the beauty of children basking in the sun.

The 2019 calendar acts as a moving gallery allowing Kenyans to bid and buy the original paintings.