Hope

Currently on view at the One-off gallery till 21 September

For what is our civilised world but a big masquerade?…….only masks, and, as a rule, behind the masks you will find moneymakers. One man, I suppose, puts on the mask of law, which he has borrowed for the purpose from a barrister, only in order to be able to give another man a sound drubbing; a second has chosen the mask of patriotism and the public welfare with a similar intent; a third takes religion or purity of doctrine. For all sorts of purposes men have often put on the mask of philosophy, and even of philanthropy,…

Then there are general masks, without any particular character attached to them like dominoes. They may be met with everywhere; and of this sort is the strict rectitude, the courtesy, the sincere sympathy, the smiling friendship, that people profess. The whole of these masks as a rule are merely, a disguise for some industry, commerce, or speculation. 

-An excerpt on human nature by Arthur Schopenhauer 

fig.1 The substance of things

The paintings oscillates between how reality is imagined and how it actually manifests. The reference of stripped flesh, is a recurring motif which I often use as an identifier that informs stereotypes, the forms used here in multiple iterations explores our internal identities and territories as a mental frame of reference. 

The work seeks to expose broken systems of governance, a precarious awareness now challenging the values that have, in different forms and times steered societal structures and how our humanity is coming face to face with the fall out resulting from fragmented systems. This is happening on all fronts of the global Social agitation. While this is one of the ways of confronting the dysfunctionality rooted in our social structures, the intensity of these times is also giving rise to a climate of over-legislation, militarisation and intolerance. When we consciously consider our interconnectedness, we become heightened to our own existence. Therefore my intention is for these paintings to encapsulate the prevailing realities and also serve as a place of connecting to the experiences of others. 'Hope' then becomes a revolutionary act of defiance.

fig. 3 Study III

Notes on Friendship: Breaking Bread

Currently showing in, Notes on Friendship: Breaking Bread, a collaborative exhibition between Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI) and Savannah Center for Contemporary Art, Tamale, Ghana. The exhibition explores friendship as a dynamic space for dialogue, critique, and support, offering a platform where shared histories and present-day realities intersect, opening up new possibilities for connection and collaboration. This flexible idea of friendship allows artists to form relationships on their own terms, encouraging mutual exploration and creative engagement.

Exhibition still fig. 1 The Substance of Things

Framed as a "lost tape" rediscovered in African history, Notes on Friendship: Breaking Bread reimagines hosting and hospitality as acts of political and artistic significance, featuring 23 artists from East and West Africa. exhibition is a cross-cultural connection and imaginative collaboration. Emerging from a desire to bridge geographic and generational divides, the exhibition explores friendship as a site for dialogue, critique, and creative support.

The exhibition presents the worldviews of practitioners across generations, Media and, discipline through three thematic configurations: About us, Nostalgia, and Objects. About us, explores narratives that constitute the self. Nostalgia, gathers work that offer perspectives informed by history and current interpretation thereof. Works in the third group, objects, takes a speculative approach towards the future through their engagement with objects and materiality.



The exhibition runs until 27th July 2025

Echoes and Edges

Echoes and Edges 

16 January -22 February

Montague Contemporary

In the moments between the familiar and the unknown lies the potential for transformation. This space of transition, memory, and renewal is at the heart of Echoes and Edges, an exhibition that isInspired by Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time (1962) and Okwui Enwezor’s analyses of temporality and rupture, the show invites audiences to consider the fragile yet potent boundaries of being. As Heidegger writes, “Temporality makes up the primordial meaning of Dasein’s Being” (Heidegger, 1962, p. 41) - a reflection on the fluid and interconnected dimensions of past, present, and future that shape our existence.

Heidegger’s exploration of the concept "Dasein" (Being-there) is a meditation on existence as a state of constant becoming. For Heidegger, the human condition is defined by its temporality: our being is always situated within a continuum of memory, present experience, and anticipation. This interplay creates a dynamic process of self-definition, a navigation of edges where past and future collide. Read more here... https://www.montaguecontemporary.com/exhibitions/51-echoes-and-edges-beatrice-wanjiku-camille-wekesa-miska-mohmmed/overview/