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Metal artist uses talent to make masks for less fortunate

Sunday May 31 2020
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A face mask by the Art Orodha team donated to residents who cannot afford one. PHOTO | COURTESY

By KARI MUTU

Cyrus Kabiru is a metal artist who started Art Orodha Kenya, a multi-disciplinary art centre. He spoke to Kari Mutu.

Metal artist and self-confessed junk lover Cyrus Kabiru rose to prominence in 2011 with his flamboyantly designed eyewear. Called C-stunners, he makes the glasses from discarded metals and other materials, and displays them through self-portraits.

More recently, Kabiru, 36, has gone into making reconstructed radios and reimagined bicycles, which are a tribute to the Black Mamba brand that were widely used in Kenya but have declined with the uptake of motorcycles.

Born and raised in Nairobi, Kabiru is a self-taught artist who has been tinkering with creations made from trash since childhood. As a boy he wanted a pair of spectacles like his father’s so he learned how to make his own from discarded wire.

Kabiru’s fashioned eyewear and other artwork have been exhibited in Nigeria, South Africa, Europe and the USA. He was a 2013 fellow at TED’s The Young, The Gifted, The Undiscovered in the USA. He was listed as one of Quartz’s Africa Innovators for 2016.

Recently, Kabiru started Art Orodha Kenya, a multi-disciplinary art centre in Thika town about 45km from Nairobi. His aim is to help upcoming artists who work with different media and to provide a place for the exchange of ideas. Artists rent studio spaces at the centre, with adequate areas for holding exhibitions, workshops and artists talks.

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Restrictions on movement and social events have dampened activity at Art Orodha. Not one to be deterred, Kabiru has turned his creative talents towards a philanthropic project of making face masks for less fortunate people.

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An artist at Art Orodha decorates a face masks. PHOTO | COURTESY

He and a group of artists purchased fabric face masks and decorated them in artistic fashion. It took them just a week and two days to adorn 1,000 masks and they were distributed on May 20 to residents of Kariobangi, a low-income residential area in Nairobi.

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Who are your partners at Art Orodha?

Art Orodha is hosting three artists: Faith Wambui who is a recent graduate of Fine Arts and Design from Kenyatta University, George Kamiti who designs costumes and John Ndumia who is redoing glass. By the end of the year I plan to have five upcoming artists.

 

How are you keeping the art centre running during this pandemic period?

For now, we are working from home, but we have projects that keep the place alive.

 

How do you stay motivated and hopeful during this time of Covid-19?

By helping the needy, and not just by giving them masks but by encouraging everyone through my art and creativity.

 

What inspired the decorated masks project?

A lot of artists are doing murals and graphics to educate the community about Covid-19, but we were trying to show how we can educate society in a different way. I have seen that people are not serious about wearing face masks so we tried to come up with an idea that would make them enjoy wearing masks.

 

How did you produce the decorated masks?

I worked with five different artists, one from Mombasa city and the others from Nairobi. We bought real masks then painted them, added beads and decorating them with different objects. We were supposed to do more than 5,000 masks, but we did not have enough funds. I did the project using my personal savings. My plan is to do more masks if I can get more funding.

 

What was the reaction of the people who received the masks?

Everyone wanted one and people are wearing them as they are beautiful and different from others.

 

What is the role of art during difficult periods like this one?

The role of art is to create awareness about the pandemic.

 

Times are tough for artists but why is it important for creatives to support the less fortunate?

The idea of the project is to help the community. One of the artists was affected by the recent demolitions in Kariobangi. They have problems paying rent and they are all new in the art market. I give them a small amount of money to support them.

 

Who has helped you on your journey as an upcoming artist?

I have been with the Kuona Trust [Centre for Visual Arts] in the past and they have been supportive. Also, whoever loves what I do has helped me a lot.

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