Elimo Njau’s living art is testimony of the present and past

The spirit of art should float like the dollar: one never knows when it will rise or fall!” says Elimo Njau.

Since he believes art has neither a beginning nor an end, he sees himself as merely one phase in the entire saga.

Despite his many years “in business,” Njau refuses to give himself any grand title.

Njau is no stranger to the world of art.

In fact, he ranks among Africa’s greats.

Yet he still considers himself a student of those who came before him and does not shy away from celebrating them.

Currently working out of his “new” Paa ya Paa Gallery — on Ridgeways Road off Kiambu Road in the suburbs of Nairobi — Njau is holding an exhibition A Walk Through Black History, to celebrate those who have inspired and continue to inspire generations of Africans.

Paa ya Paa is a cultural phenomenon.

Every corner of the garden is seen as a creation, a vegetable patch or a tree.

The entire compound is used as a display area for works of art, by Njau as well as other artists.

On one wall, life-size three-dimensional figures represent The Beauty Contest, sculpted by Samuel Wanjau.

On another, a trompe l’oeil (literally “fool the eye”) mural shows elders enjoying whatever live performance will unfold before them.

This charming piece of whimsy was a collaboration between Moses Kabira and Peter Murio.

Turn a corner, and you run into a huge sculpture by Njau showing two men shouldering a large pot in which they capture the spirit of youth.

In the main gallery, you make your way around a large installation depicting The Last Supper in modern form: a large glass-topped table with tree-trunk base, surrounded by lopped-off tree trunks to form seating for the Disciples.