KENYA-ARTIST-MICHAEL SOI Critically acclaimed Kenyan artist Michael Soi, experiments with beauty

Record ID: 143686

  • Title: KENYA-ARTIST-MICHAEL SOI Critically acclaimed Kenyan artist Michael Soi, experiments with beauty
  • Date: 14th August 2015
  • Summary: NAIROBI, KENYA (AUGUST 12, 2015) (REUTERS) FRONT OF THE CIRCLE ARTS GALLERY BUILDING PLAQUE SHOWING INFORMATION ON ARTIST, MICHAEL SOI WOMAN LOOKING PAINTINGS SHOWGOER TAKING A PICTURE OF PAINTING DEPICTING TOPLESS WOMAN PAINTING SOI TAKING A CLOSE LOOK AT PORTRAIT (SOUNDBITE) (English) MICHAEL SOI, ARTIST SAYING: "The Faces exhibition what I did is, this is my first attem
  • Embargoed: 29th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA63WCBE086V89F6GF15EYOZNZJ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Kenyan artist Michael Soi is showing a new collection of paintings at a gallery in a suburb of Nairobi this month.
    The series titled 'Faces' comes at a time when his work is fast gaining global popularity. It has leapt from gallery frames to women's canvas tote bags, which Oscar winning actress Lupita Nyong'o herself gave a stamp of approval when she posed with one of the designs for social media.
    The opening of the Faces exhibit attracted a good number of art enthusiasts who were taken by the colourful 17-piece series Soi unveiled. Some took pause to inquire if there was a hidden meaning in the elegant simplicity of images showing women against various backdrops.
    In his workspace - set in an industrial area of the city, Soi described his concept for the series as the beginning of an exploration in making beautiful art.
    "The Faces exhibition what I did is, this is my first attempt to try and come up with what is termed as beautiful art. They are just faces of very beautiful women," he said.
    Soi's status on the Nairobi art scene has been 20 years in the making, consisting of producing pieces which speak of the untold stories and seedy elements of the city. He says his work falls outside of cultural norms and should remain exactly that in order to challenge what he calls the hypocrisy within Kenyan society. His work often tackles subjects everybody shies away from, like sex and alcoholism - all the while remaining constantly in touch with them.
    Soi aspires to diversify his collection of art products by creating a book one day, which will offer a look back at Nairobi's past, years from now.
    "People will walk into my space and ask me, 'so who is going to buy paintings of a topless woman in a strip club?' And my answer to them is usually that I really don't care. I am doing this because I want to do this. I am trying to document certain aspects of this city that are not being documented so... I am happy to do a piece and get a good quality digital image and store it somewhere so maybe probably at some point I will do a book. Somebody sitting in a classroom 10, 20 years from now can look at it and get to see the kind of nastiness that Kenyans were up to back then," he said.
    The artist says his bag project is just another channel for his talent and an evolution that seemingly ties in with his desire to be more accessible to the local market.
    "It is very very sad that unfortunately... that still the clientele that basically buys most of my bags are people from out there, other than people... I mean local people. I would rather see my bags in the streets of Nairobi actually," said Soi.
    Gallery director Danda Jaroljmek is very enthusiastic about the new series of work from the 43-year-old artist.
    "We've been showing him for the last few years. This is the first solo show we have given him; we do a lot of group shows. He was also in our first auction and our second auction. But yeah I am really pleased to have a solo show of a new body of work from him and I think that the work is really good and it looks excellent in this space," she said.
    For many of the visitors at the show it is an intimate introduction to Soi - whose work's popularity has been growing steadily in the last few years.
    "I don't see a lot of places where they are sold but I kind of see on his Instagram they say you can go to certain websites. But yeah I think there needs to be a bit more of that but I think now I am a bit more educated about where to go get his stuff from... yeah," said Zara Mwaini.
    "Why is it the same girl? He's an artist, he can draw or represent anyone he's trying to portray but why is it just one woman? What's the story behind this woman? That's the main question I have for him if I do get to see him again tonight," said art enthusiast, Msafiri Bram.
    Kenyan artists, like many of their African counterparts often find more success abroad than at home where paying for art as opposed to just appreciating it, is seen as a preserve for a small group of wealthy elite.
    But the middle class in Africa is growing fast as economies and incomes expand and art is one of many new indulgences.
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