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This work
has been developed from my reflection series that was part of my Cape Town experience in
2007.
As a Kenyan
living in Kenya,
my opinion is that our three main identifying traits/cultures are Matatu, Athletics
and Corruption.
We’re all
so corrupt in our own little way that it has become a part of our life!
A policeman
will take a bribe, an accountant will embezzle funds, an artist will use money
intended for a project and file in manipulated receipts, the immigration
official will ask for a bribe to process my passport, a politician will demand
kick-backs from contracts… the list is endless.
We tend to
think that it’s only corruption when someone else is involved, when the
“culprit” is exposed or when the figures/amounts are monumental.
Just as we
use sunglasses to cover our eyes and make-believe we’re concealing our
identity, we use all manner of wicked and treacherous ways to cover up our
corrupt ways.
This piece
of work is a reflection of one’s self. It’s trying to make the viewer see the
log in their eye before they try finding the speck in the next person’s eye.
We’re all
calling for Prof Sam Ongeri & Karega Mutahi to resign because they “ate”
monies intended for free primary education, Kiraitu Murungi & Chris
Murungaru for “eating” from the Angloleasing pot, Kamlesh Pattni and Moi for
Goldenberg but do we resign or step down when we “eat” from our little pots… or
is it just our turn to eat?
Thom Ogonga - "It'smy turn to eat"; acrylic/paper, charcoal on canvas
Grand corruption, grand games. In Kenya
Open I’m exploring the issue of graft, or grand corruption, and the
illusion that it is something removed from everyday reality or the common mans’
strata. The common man mistakenly imagines himself as a spectator, powerless to
intervene. Much of what is exposed and reported by the media is national and
institutional corruption; the figures quoted are mind boggling, way beyond the
imagination of most Wananchi. The sums are unbelievable, dazzling and alluring;
conjuring up the ambiguous phrase “the end justifies the means”.
Moral or legal propriety not withstanding the
lure of such riches……instant billionaire…..who needs a soul……who
cares….others…lives.
Golf projects the image of affluence.
Like corruption, it is a game that I (and probably most other Kenyans)
view as removed from my current reality. As such my knowledge of golf is
limited, but I find the game intriguing.
By inviting the audience to play golf, Kenya
Open attempts to bridge, in a symbolic way, the chasm that exists between
grand corruption and the normal Kenyan. Grand corruption benefits and elevates
individuals to an elite status, in financial and possibly influential terms. In
this work, I have attempted to connect golf, a game associated with the elite,
to the viewers’ lives, as a reminder that we all exist in the same reality
where graft is concerned. The interactive nature of this artwork is
intended to expose the reality that what happens in Kenya affects all Kenyans.
Peterson Kamwathi 2010, Edited by ** password needed**
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Facilitated by Pro
Photographer Sylvia N. Gichia
This
photography workshop was inspired by ideas that Photography can be taught by
professionals to inspire creativity and expand technical skills. Having
relocated to Kenya after thirteen years, I felt that, unfortunately for
Photographers in this region, Photography is not really appreciated as a visual
art form, and for a long time has been treated with less priority in the ARTS. There is a need for photographers to start appreciating
their work more as an Art form rather than just reportage photography. I
personally would like to see Photography receive the same platforms as other
Arts.
The
fourteen week workshop has been an attempt to enrich the participants with
skills that they can apply to their Style of photography. They have also been exposed to different types
and forms of photography not limiting them to just one style. The
workshop covered different topics that included:- Portrait Photography, Street Photography, Composition and Lighting,
Editing, Developing your Personal Style, Photography for TV, Wedding Photography, Fashion Photography,
Abstract Photography, Photojournalism, Learn to Critic your Photos, The
Language of Photography- Basics and Setting up your Exhibition.
The
workshop was facilitated by Sylvia N Gichia here at the Kuona Art Centre. The
idea behind the workshop was to involve as many professionals in the
Photography field to come share their knowledge and experiences as well as
teach some technical skills. Some of the Photography professionals that offered
their time to the workshop were Marten Schoonman for the Editing class, Kobi
Kihara for the Photography for TV class, Emmanuel Jambo for the Wedding
Photography class, Boniface Mwangi for the Photojournalist class, Barbara
Minishi for the Fashion Photography class and Rujunko Pugh for Exhibition
Development.
“WRITING WITH LIGHT” the Exhibition is presented
to you by eleven participants, who completed the fourteen week workshop. During this Exhibition you will see the
different styles and technical skills that were covered during the class. Each
Photographer has a preferred style that ranges from abstract, landscape,
Portraits, techniques in Composition and lighting, as well as wildlife photography. The works presented to you during this
exhibition and the installation of works was done by the artists themselves as
part of the experience of Exhibiting Works. This is a first time Exhibition
experience for all the photographers.
“Photography
is the art of the split second. Speed, the fundamental condition of our present
day activities, is its power. The photographer works fast within the second he
has to see, to select and to act. The small camera is his ideal tool. Its art
value is enhanced by qualities which have been variously described as
journalistic, documentary, candid: it is the means of detecting and revealing
the reality surrounding us.” Lisette Model
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Rujunko
Pugh , Artist in residence at the Institute for Human Security will
be presenting her photo-installation, Violent Cartographies at
the Kuona Trust Gallery between 4-19 November 2009.
Rujunko was born in Japan
and spent her childhood in the United States on the West Coast and the
Deep South and is currently residing and practising art in
Hawaii. With a Masters degree in Molecular Bioscience and
Bioengineering and a deep interest in political issues, her work is an
inter-articulation of technologies , the human body and the subtle
beauties that mark their representation in everyday life.
Through this photography
installation she deals "disturbed images" to interrogate
/interrupt cultures of war, conceptions of space, enmity-based identities and
the antagonisms that accompany them.
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‘UP COMING ARTISTS’ was a group exhibition by seven Kuona Trust resident artists (Cyrus Nganga, Dennis Muraguri, Omosh Kindeh, Beth Kimwele, Kepha Mosoti, Maryanne Muthoni, and Fred Abuga) that was held at the Kuona trust Gallery from 1st to 15th September, 2009.
With the title, ‘upcoming’ as the main concept, the artists portrayed their position on this sort of labeling by art pundits. Assorted works and installations by this group of artists asked, “why the label?!” The exhibition, through its content, sought to spark a conversation on why some artists are labeled ‘established’, and the rest ‘emerging’.
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Kuona Trust’s second artist-led exhibition opened on Friday 10th July 2009 at our centre for visual arts. The show, “Winter Warmer” was the conceptualized by Edward Chiselhands and Omosh Kindeh who have created the Loveshack Studios in their rented space at Kuona and had been keen on starting what they termed a ‘Sculpture Comeback’.
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Kuona Trust’s inaugural exhibition at their new art centre, “Stereotype” was conceived after the post-election violence last year by artist John Kamicha and opened to the public on 5th March 2009. It featured artwork developed in response to the theme by artists; Sam Hopkins, John Kamicha, Peterson Kamwathi, Anthony Okello, Michael Soi and Ogonga Thom.
The artists explored their interpretation of the theme and challenged our perceptions using different media to highlight some of the common stereotypes. The opening was well attended with about 100 art enthusiasts and artists.
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