Kenyan artists Gakunju Kaigwa, Gabriela Gakuo and Geraldine Robarts have partnered to present an arts festival celebrating their “creativity, passion, and the beauty of every moment.”
From October 13-15 Robarts will exhibit alongside her former art students in her Nairobi home studio. A prodigious producer of art, Robarts' work is about unity, “about revealing the ways we are all connected to each other and nature,” said the 85-year-old artist. “I seek to build bridges between all for a more comprehensive approach to this unprecedented challenge in the history of humanity."
She has vibrantly coloured oil paintings of nature, marine life, abstract images, figurative semi-realism as well as multimedia with mabati pieces recycled from an old studio roof.
Since 1998, Gabriela Gakuo has partnered with Robarts in exhibitions. Nature, plants and animals are beloved themes of Gakuo’s work.
“Art is a journey of blossoming and growing, hence nature, especially floral themes, inspire me,” she said.
As well as paintings, Gakuo uses her talent to decorate pots, planters, trays and wooden furniture. The articles are upcycled into fun and functional pieces. Cabinets, tables, chairs and other furnishings are revitalised with her colours and shapes.
“Transforming everyday objects through bright colours and mixed media inspires my creative expression, using nature as inspiration,” said Gakuo. “At its core, art is an outward expression of my thoughts in life.”
Though her art pieces are not commercially available, Gakuo has maintained a strong base of buyers and client-commissioned work.
Gakunju Kaigwa’s three-dimensional artwork moves between pure aesthetics and functionality. The Kenyan landscapes, where he gathers deadwood, inspire some of his work, including stools, chairs, benches, coffee tables and figurative sculptures.
Kaigwa’s sculptures bring attention to the usefulness of dead wood, a tree stump or a ubiquitous bough. Some of his furniture pieces draw from traditional African designs interpreted in contemporary style. They are beautifully sculpted in clean flowing lines or retain natural aspects of the organic material. Semi-realistic figure sculptures crafted from wood, fibreglass, steel and other materials are thought-provoking and observational of the human condition.
