Lynn Atieno’s Self Identification at Westlands Mall. FILE PHOTO | POOL

5 Lenses is an interesting, multifaceted exhibition taking place from February 15, within the basement of Nairobi’s Westlands Mall.

A venue that’s quick turning into a handy web site for quirky, uncommon, and shocking new reveals, 5 Lenses meets that criterion.

Curated by artists April Kamande and Yvonne Nyawira, the present options 5 ladies artists, every representing a distinct style of the humanities, every seeing the world by way of a distinct ‘lens’ because it had been.

There’s the painter, Victoria Thuo aka Blaine, the photographer, Adikinyi Kondo, the digital artist, Lynn Atieno, the sculptor, Elnah Akware, and the British author Ozioma Ihersiene who is predicated in the UK.

Lynn Atieno’s Digital Artwork at Westlands Mall. FILE PHOTO | POOL

“I used to be initially going to be the one painter out of the 5. However then I realised I wanted to see the venture by way of to completion, so I invited Blaine to come back in as a substitute of me,” April tells the BDLife.

She properly selected to relinquish her area within the present since she’s the one who designed the venture within the first place. “I had simply left my job because the Arts Supervisor on the British Council, and had determined to use for a [BC] arts grant which I used to be stunned to get,” she continues.

Admitting that the objectives of the venture are derived from points which have arisen in her follow, April says these points can finest be seen within the 5 themes that undergird the exhibition.

Every theme displays a side of the journey that she and numerous others have taken throughout and after the Covid lockdown.

They embody first, ‘self-identity’, implying a course of which has known as on every artist to replicate on her personal id artistically.

Then comes ‘solitude’, a theme that she along with Yvonne determined was a topic each artist wants to remain targeted on the work they should do.

Blain Thuo’s Self Identification portrait at Westlands Mall. FILE PHOTO | POOL

After that comes the problem of ‘psychological well being and therapeutic’ which developed as a subject that’s important to handle to make sure the artist is on a journey that’s constructive and deeply rooted.

Lastly, comes the theme of ‘development’, a subject we count on to see by way of the artist’s follow following their journey the opposite lenses have taken them by way of.

The fifth theme addresses the collaborative facet of the present and pairs the painter and poet, digital artist and photographer, and the sculptor singularly making a common girl in wooden to greet you as you enter the exhibition.

In any other case, the pairs tackle the environmental theme of animal versus man, understanding that each are close to extinction on the charge that human beings are going.

But the atmosphere at 5 Lenses is solely upbeat and life-affirming. The work itself revealing ladies in charge of their medium, younger, optimistic, and admittedly ‘rising’.

Adikinyi Kondo’s Self-Identification photograph at Westlands Mall. FILE PHOTO | POOL

However due to April’s initiative, the humanities grant has enabled the artists to create the works they wished, almost all of which had been produced particularly for this present.

“We’ve been engaged on this exhibition for the final six months,” April says.

In reality, the present can be a disciplinary set up due to Yvonne’s monitoring down Sunshyn Siteiya, the imaginative set designer who created 5 separate areas inside the big room the ladies employed up till March 4th when the exhibition will shut

Every room is devoted to one of many 5 themes with every artist contributing a bit to all 5 installations. It’s virtually like attending 5 completely different exhibitions since all of them replicate completely different points of every artist.

It’s also possible to see the journey that every one has taken as she’s sought to convey the essence of every theme, as seen by way of her lens of information and expertise.

Another factor that I respect about this present is its building. The panels that separate virtually each room are pure glass from prime to backside.

This enhances the sense of freedom one feels transferring from one room to the subsequent.

The primary one, for Self-Identification, is crammed with mirrors, some hanging from the ceiling, others located throughout the room.

The centrepiece would appear to be Blaine’s vibrant self-portrait. However then there’s Elnah’s feminine sculpture standing tall and grabbing our consideration as properly.

(From left) Elnah Akware, Blaine, Adikinyi Kondo, Lynn Atieno and poet Ozioma Ihesiene. FILE PHOTO | MARGARETTA WA GACHERU | NMG

In the meantime, as you progress from Solitude to Psychological Well being after which to the fantastic inexperienced room for Development, one hears the voice of the poet, quietly studying the verses she composed particularly for five Lenses.

In all, the exhibition is a uncommon mixture of artistry and dedication to transcending boundaries so that girls can share and generously convey a way of unity in range that’s distinctive.

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