KUONA TRUST JUNE NEWSLETTER
Print making workshop
Premier Swedish print maker Anki Kallstrom is currently conducting a print making workshop focused on the basic techniques of block print and intaglio. Those attending the workshop had the opportunity to learn how to prepare images from printing plates, using the printing press as well as printing on different materials including paper and fabric.
Participants will showcase the output of the workshop at the end of the week. Keep it here for the pictures.
‘Paradigm’- a collaboration between Kuona Trust and Kobo Trust
Paradigm is the title of a group exhibition by three Kuona artists- Cyrus Kabiru, Dennis Muraguri and Sidney Mang’ong’o which officially opened at the Village market on the 10th of July 2013.
The art work on display is an output of the artists’ studio practice during the one year period they were sponsored by the Kobo Trust. The trust sponsored the artists by helping them pay their studio rent and purchase art materials
The Kobo trust continues to work closely with Kuona Trust and is already looking into sponsoring new artists for the second half of the year.
The exhibition is on till the 18th of July 2013 at the Village Market.
Past events
Nai Ni Who? Project
The Nai Ni Who? (Who is Nairobi?) project took Nairobi by storm, with already four festivals done, there is no holding back. The ambitious project by the GoDown Art Centre had the aim of creating festivals around different zones in Nairobi to create a sense of community and ownership. People had the chance to celebrate what they felt was represented their neighborhood best in a week long festival that saw hundreds of people join the cause and spread the message on various social sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Kuona Trust pioneered the zone ten festival with back to back activities happening in all the major traffic areas and malls among others.
Some of the highlights from the week are as follows.
Screening of the film ‘Premier/Divisions’ by Chris Paul Daniels at the Yaya Centre roof top. The film is an output of a residency programme at Kuona Trust in which Chris sheds light on the divisions that cut across the modern Kenyan society with particular reference to tribe and social class.
Premier/Divisions is to preview in the UK alongside the Manchester International Festival
Links: Chris Paul Daniels blog spot
Screening of Kirik at the Kenyatta National Hospital children’s cancer ward. This was an extension of an ongoing project by various artists who teach an art class twice a week to the young ones.
The C-stunners and graffiti public art projects
The yoga sessions with the Yoga Africa project who conducted two yoga sessions during the Nai Ni Who? Week and the street March from Kilimani primary.
Planet Tiba run by the Maasai Mbili art centre and a few friends including Maya Von Lekow. Onlookers were treated to some tasty colored maize that was well roasted by the team.
Weaver bird Art camp
Kuona trust collaborated with Weaver bird founder Collin Sekajugo in this the just concluded art that took place in Masaka, Uganda.. Five artists from Kuona spent a week in Masaka, actively interacting with the community and introducing them to the fundamentals of sculpting as a form of visual art.
Screening ‘I am breathing’
‘I Am Breathing ‘ is a moving film by Emma Davie & Morag McKinnon which tells the story of a young man who suffers from Motor Neuron Disease and eventually succumbs to the disease 14 months after diagnosis.
The screening was organized by DOCUBOX, a newly established documentary film fund for East Africa founded by Judy Kibinge. This was as part of a global initiative to show the same film in over 100 cities all over the world on the same day and also create awareness on the disease whose cause had remained a mystery and had no known cure.
Picture of the Month
It is said that that first impressions are most crucial, they determine how others relate with us and the image they carry of us hence fourth,being an artistic space we decided to follow suit and we thus unveil our new look gate.
We acknowledge the following artists for their hard work and creativity- Jacqueline Karuti, Kevin Oduor, David Mwaniki, Anthony Wanjau, Tonney Mugo and Lionel Garang, Meshack Oiro and Dennis Muraguri led ably by Mutheu Mbondo.
