Barabara zangu

Kinyozi art

2009-12-06T20:40:00.000-08:00

Kinyozi art or barber shop art, has close links with matatu art.Entrepreneurs decorate and paint their shops with bright colours to attract customers.
At the barber shop, guys meet and talk about current affairs and other issues.
The art work above was done by Nozi and Aro (some of my neighbourhood artist friends.)
They can do signs and decorate Salons also.

Modern & Classic

2009-11-03T21:04:00.000-08:00

Nairobi is a 'modern and classic' city in the sense that old and new buildings stand side by side.
A visitor can witness this by going for a walk along Kenyatta Avenue and Moi Avenue.
Classic buildings usually have the year of completion written at the entrance or near the roofs.
This date back to the colonial times.
Modern buildings on the other hand have a simple,Cubist style of architecture.
Now,comparing this facts with my work I can refer to Monet as a classic artist and Piet as a modern artist.
Neo-Plasticism can be viewed as a reincarnation of Impressionism.
Monet used brilliant colours (primary colours)in his work while Piet used primary colours with a bit of black & white.
So combining this with African colours I got the following pieces.

Early post/ Market day

2009-10-25T00:41:00.000-07:00

If one decides to compare market scenes of the developed countries with those of developing countries,you will notice the huge difference.

African soldiers

2009-10-25T00:16:00.000-07:00

In art history, we often hear of the French Zouaves but not the British Kings African Rifles(KAR).
Creativity is entangled with warfare during the WW1 and WW2 periods.
Apart from North Africans,East Africans also participated in the world wars.Most of the KARs were Africans and they were killed in large numbers since they were usually placed at the front line.
The epitaph under this monument is written in English, Arabic and Swahili.The writings on it show how in contempt Africans were looked upon.
By referring to people as "Arms and Legs" is not right.It's a great wonder that no one has ever complained about this issue and yet we have "intellectual" world war historians around.
Notable servicemen included Hussein Onyango Obama (the US Presidents' paternal grandfather) and "General China" who later became a freedom fighter.

The Rooftops

2009-09-23T22:22:00.001-07:00

Many people fail to understand the environmental aspect of this photograph.
Yes we can have beautiful trees growing in the city but that doesn't prevent acid rain from destroying the roofs---?

Photo translation-2

2009-09-23T22:10:00.000-07:00

With a single photograph one can do many things such as playing with time and colours.

Casual mania

2009-09-18T22:18:00.001-07:00

Street fashion is a huge hit in urban areas.There are no age limits or status issues.
Anytime of the day it's all good.Whether outdoors or indoors.

Narrow passage

2009-09-02T21:54:00.000-07:00

The original Bohemians maybe had their own way of tackling life issues.
What the early painters/artists went through in their lives is somewhat different from our current generation.
Nowadays, tragedies occur almost on a daily basis.Many of these "creative ones" leave unmentioned.
Few cases (such as the one above), get Press coverage.
It's indeed a harsh reality being a street artist.
Many guys run the risk of being arrested or even imprisonment.Others get caught up in drug problems.
Maybe all this will change one day..........

mashahiri

2009-08-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

Throughout East and Equatorial Africa, poetry is or has become an avenue for expressing feelings, dreams,hopes and fears.
Poetry occupies a special place in everyday life.
Poets memorize and recite poems that reflect the wisdom of their people and their daily experiences.
A skilled poet can talk for several hours without tiring............
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Today's poems have become lyrics to rap songs.Rappers and their music have evolved from traditional storytellers/griots to international celebrities.
What body painting was has now become body tattooing.The Kingship gold chains and bracelets, have now become blings and ice.
The "Call and Response" in the village has taken over the concert stages and memories are now preserved in CDs.

"Blogging reality"

2009-08-23T22:08:00.000-07:00

"Rather than love,than money,than fame,give me truth."
-Henry David Thoreau

Bloggers are said to be the community journalists and voice of the voiceless...........
Personally I view blogging as a celebration of diversity,human life and day to day experience.
Before immersing myself in the blogging world, life around me was just "life"- just living and passing time.
My way of thinking,viewing and judging of issues that were happening around me gradually started to change overtime.
Through blogging i.e. expressing myself and meeting other people on line really added something I never knew I had.
I began seeing the beauty in my surroundings and began appreciating myself more.
Due to this "blogging effect",I've talked to fellow street artists and friends to post their stuff on the net.
Some don't see the importance or the value.Others just have difficulty accessing the Internet and some it's like gibberish......

Just flying over >>.>

2009-07-31T22:15:00.002-07:00

A sunny day....the sound of vehicles moving and a height above the rest ---,is what the camera showed me.

Nairobi stone

2009-07-31T22:15:00.001-07:00

The above milliary stone is located along Kenyatta avenue near the GPO.It's one of a kind.Maybe that's the reason it's fenced around.The design itself is unique.

Early post/ stocks $ hues

2009-07-19T22:53:00.001-07:00

The recession that is affecting all corners of the globe made me remember one of my early paintings.As an alternative- stocks can be traded like an auction house.
I found the NYSE photo in some old magazine that was thrown in a dump around town.

Tribute to MJ

2009-07-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

Dancing shoes

Guys received the news with disbelief and shock.In short,Mj inspired everyone in the world.I've been hearing his songs from nursery school to the present days.
People got impressed by his fine dance moves and passionate singing.As an artist and a fan I had to react to the sad news.
Maybe his demise will unleash a new art movement like Obamaism.It might be MJism or the popular Wacko Jacko.Who knows? ^^^

My Drawings 6

2009-06-23T22:49:00.001-07:00

The little shops found in the countryside are designed in such a way that everyone sees whats happening around.No jostling or littering.
Some of them were built during the colonial era and are still intact.

Monday morning

2009-06-23T22:36:00.000-07:00

Blue street,Acrylics on paper,16cm x 10cm.

Everyone hates waking up early in the morning especially on Mondays.The day is usually characterized by chilly and dull emotions.There are few people and less sunshine.
Maybe a monochrome might explore this phenomenon.

Overhead mural

2009-06-22T21:46:00.000-07:00

The above mural was done by my neighbourhood artist friend called Robert.I wanted to take his photograph but he declined.
Many street artists are camera shy I don't know why.Apart from this,he has also painted barber shops and does a bit of illustration.
He's also a good painter but the realist type.The mural is located around my home town.

Rare gift

2009-06-18T22:24:00.001-07:00

Barack ni Baraka,Coloured pencil and pen on paper,20cm x 10cm.

Everyone in Africa and particularly Kenya loves Mr.President.Many artists of all levels have either done a piece or staged something concerning the US president.
Some have done graffitis, others have stuck his photos on vehicle bodies and others like me have done art pieces in the form of paintings,collages and animations.
The title of this artwork when translated to English reads Barack is a Blessing.It's based on a passport photo I had seen in the newspapers when he was campaigning with McCain.

@ the streets-Tour 5

2009-05-24T22:16:00.000-07:00

I believe that a street is not complete without telephone and electric cables hanging around.Street lights are also a necessity.

Early post/ Earthy street

2009-05-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

At my friends' house there are many magazines.This street photo caught me.Maybe the foreign architecture caused a reaction somewhere.

My Drawings 5

2009-05-17T22:22:00.000-07:00

I remember my short trip upcountry.The little townships and shopping centres.When compared to those of the city and their congestion,it's like the total opposite.

Country Bus Terminus

2009-05-17T22:14:00.000-07:00

The bus terminus is a nice place to get artistic ideas since it's full of different forms and colours.Sometimes I ask myself why many artists focus too much on painting market scenes and Maasai herdsmen.
Why can't they just go out and see the various subjects available...?

Experiment on Opticals

2009-05-17T22:02:00.000-07:00

Scientists like Henri Poincare,began to consider the way mathematics relates to art in 1906 (Value of Science).
It's also important to observe that most optical paintings have similar qualities to music.Therefore Optical art can be described as "visual music" as it communicates by means of visual tunes as it is in music.

Academic visions

2009-05-13T22:53:00.001-07:00

I snapped this school gate as a reminder of my "educational days".The academy is located around my home area.I don't know the sign-writer who did it but he did some fine work.
Viewing this from another perspective is like a new form of art but it's quite common here. People have realized that in order to make schools appealing they have to use a bit of art.

More of the basics

2009-05-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

Looking back where I came from is kind of moving.All those sketches,bright stickers and colour schemes I did of matatus no longer mean a thing.Life is like a pendulum-always moving back and forth.