New exhibitions opening, Mar 11th – Apr 9th 2009 @ RaMoMa

Opening from 6pm on March 11th
• ValDor Gallery – Humanity, Memories, Adaptation and Transitions by Beatrice Njoroge
Beatrice’s work is mostly a psychological look into everyday life and its relative resemblance to people everywhere around the globe. She has lately been working on a series on communication and letter writing in which she incorporates old stamps, newspapers and envelopes. It is an exploration of humanity, memories, adaptation and translations. She says “I felt the nostalgia of things past, of how I wrote letters to my mother, friends and how this has been replaced by emails… the works link a past and present.”
“…I want the audience to react to what they see and feel when they look at the work. I want to engage the audience to react in whichever way, be it by passionately liking the art or hating it. The reaction itself will have achieved the purpose the art work was created for.”

• Dodhia Gallery – this and that by Mary Collis
A house-hold name in Kenya, as a master colorist, Mary Collis has been painting, over the years moving from early figurative works to more abstract works. In this exhibition the paitings draw inspiration from diverse subject matter and include a selection of different works that she has painted over the years.

• Rahimtulla Gallery – Otieno Kota
Otieno Kota is the epitome of determination in an artist. He came to Nairobi from Western Kenya having been convinced by a friend that as an artist, there are enormous possibilities in the big city. Soon, he found his way and together with Otieno Gomba formed Maasai Mbili studio in Kibera. It is this that propelled him to do his first exhibition in a coffee shop before leaving Maasai Mbili and taking up residence at Kuona Trust Studios. Kota’s work first consisted of street signage and murals. This grew over time to the exploration of ideas that is executed in his signature “tin cloth”. He is fully converted, having found art to be a more fulfilling endeavor than football, which he played earlier and continues to take interest in. Art, he says, is like a prison; once he starts joining his tin sheets, he is totally engrossed for the week. Then it is time to actualise the next idea, which often has arisen from the process of working on the earlier piece. He is very proud of the social statements that include his circumstance and individuality, which he translates to pieces of art.

• Ford Room – City Primary School Special Unit
The City Primary School, located in Ngara, is home to a very special group of students – “Special Unit.” The group currently consists children who deal with the challenges of Downs Syndrome, Autism and other neurological problems and the associated stigmas. The art project these children undertake is hosted by Harambee Arts. In addition to painting with the children, founding director, Gloria Simoneaux has created an art club at the City Primary School. The children from the “Special Unit” rotate as the club’s president and understand that they have been put in a leadership role hence the other students view them differently…with respect. They have many lessons to teach, and the mainstream children are now beginning to learn from them.

• Also showing in different gallery spaces is work by Anthony Wanjau
Anthony Wanjau’s sculpting foundations were set by his father, the legendary Samuel Wanjau. He remembers “sculpting” on the mud house wall in the mid 1970’s without understanding what this meant for his future career. It was only in 1992 that his sculpture would make it’s way into Gallery Watatu and immediately found a buyer. In 2002, Wanjau went into full time sculpting after trying his in businesses. He found life in sculpting to be his career once he had interacted with different artists. His works are about “day to day life”.

RaMoMA is open 7 days a week. Tel 3748612/8