I have always considered Onyis Martin as a big name– more so than any other Nairobi contemporary artist I’m familiar with- perhaps because I find his work to be so unique and intriguing, so charged with time and bearing the daily Nairobi urban life stories and politics.
Ruga, in the absence of archives, might rely too much on fabulation. References to Greek mythology, Christian iconography, Xhosa cosmology, and queer aesthetics make for dense readings but crowded works. There’s a lot to unpack.
“What I love about Home Museum is the sentimental value that all of us can relate to. It is not about the stars, but there to empower citizens.”
I’m not trying to be ‘African’. I’m not trying to prove anything. If you want to doubt if it’s African, look at the material the art is made of and look at the person making it. So I’m using local materials and the concepts I put across are indigenous to this place. I actually hate the title ‘African art’ because titles are for people who want to gain from this.
His work speaks to the present by utilizing the past and invoking the violence enacted by the church, the military, and even the scientific fields, all under the guise of civilization so as to conquer and plunder black and brown nations.