EXHIBITION: VALUE
We are delighted to announce the opening of Value, an exhibition by artist Tahir Karmali, opening on 27th February, with an opening reception and remaining on view through 13th March 2014. This will be Tahir’s first exhibition at the Kuona Trust Art Gallery and the first public exhibition of this work.
Tahir has had a prolific few months producing over a dozen images and developing this strong concept which he is extremely passionate about. His installation is intended to challenge the audience to question their perception of ‘Value’, a word that is more complex and more important than people think. Tahir’s photography installation, presents a series of provocative images, tastefully used to communicate and express a specific understanding the artist has of ‘Value’. With each image, he manages to effectively interpret and portray the 3 primary connotations of ‘Value’ in reference to:- i) Monetary Value ii) Worth or Usefulness iii) Principle
Nairobi Sex Workers have carved a niche for themselves in society. The artist chooses to use a subject that is laced with cultural and societal taboo. More specifically, Male Sex Workers (MSW) in Nairobi continue to present a provocative subject with traces of homosexual implications and male role stereotypes. This exhibition is not simply a display of those in the sex industry, but an active force in articulating, shaping, and contesting the meaning of ‘Value’ in the public sphere. Tahir ventures to use this delicate subject as a means to grab the attention of the audience while playing on their curiosity of the MSW.
The subjects are photographed with their most valued belonging. The viewer now must perceive the value of that object through the subject. Subsequently question what object they would choose and contemplate what that would mean about their own perception of value. How are we different? How are we the same?
About the Artist
Tahir Carl Karmali is a Nairobi based photographer and digital & mixed media artist. He started his career in the corporate world but has been constantly in touch with the creative industry, constantly exploring the philosophies of existentialism whether through ink on canvas or the camera lens.
His current work experiments with the digital layering of landscapes and cityscapes to create kaleidoscopic pattern and also using line and form to interject pure pattern. More of his work can be seen on his web page www.tahirk.com
