Painter Ruth Nyakundi takes a look at African traditional values that are still applicable today.

As with many of her previous works, Kenyan-born Nyakundi is influenced by rural themes as portrayed Culture and Values, her exhibition currently showing at the Nairobi National Museum.

Her focus is on the values of family, home and love. A classic example is Mother and Child, a semi-abstract oil painting of mother bending with concern over a child who seems to be riding a scooter. The muted colours of the figures are enhanced by thick black and gold outlines.

Young romance is portrayed in a softly textured painting called Searching for Love. It shows a crowd of people in scarlet shukas clustered together against a sunny-yellow background suggestive of warm savannas. The tight formation of the bodies reminds me of traditional gatherings where personal space gives way to the strong body contact in a joyful atmosphere.

Is there a type of “bromance” in African Elders where a group of men in red robes and elongated earrings crouch closely together, most likely discussing important village matters?

The image of three ladies wrapped in headscarves exiting a building in After Worship gives a sense of shared reflection after a session in church, and the lightly blurred texture adds a whimsical touch to the image.

Culture and Values also reviews Nyakundi’s different definitions of home. The painting My Heart My Home suggests finding rest and comfort from within regardless of one’s physical location. Bushmen, on the other hand, portrays a group of itinerant travellers who would typically make a home and hearth wherever sunset finds them.

Nyakundi’s figures all have dark, featureless faces, which allows the viewer to contemplate the entire illustration and not narrow in on individual differences. Almost all of them have a flickered-paint finish giving an extra bit of texture.

There were also a few wildlife images such as Untitled Family showing a trio of abstract zebra, with thickly textured stripes.

Nyakundi has been painting since childhood. A prolific, self-taught artist she has exhibited both locally and overseas.