KUMI: Ten Years, a retrospective on the works of Ngene Mwaura 2000-2010 will be the one-man show opening Oct. 1 at the Gallery at the End of the World, 2745 N. Lake.
Ngene Mwaura is a well-known local artist whose works reflects his upbringing in Kenya. His work is theatrical and combines intricate lines and gestures. He often uses repeated images of masks, animals, and imaginary symbolism.
The exhibition will feature a body of work that has taken ten years to complete with many new, never-before seen pieces of art.
Ngene Mwaura is a third generation artist from of a family of writers and storytellers. He is from Kikuyu, a farmland fifteen miles outside of Nairobi, Kenya. Unlike his father, Mwaura Mureithi (author of “The adventures of Thiga”), Ngene has found illustration to be his truest form of storytelling.
His work takes you from the farmlands of Africa, through the art world of Europe, and most recently to Los Angeles, where he is currently working on “Masks,” an expression of what he thinks the African Mask could have evolved into if the African tradition hadnʼt progressively dissipated.
He has studied under several artists including Ndasuunye Shikongeni, Fred Mutebi, Henry Mujunga, Rafael Zarza, and Joyce Wellman. Ngene has extensive experience in silk-screening, etching, acetate printing, carton printing and woodblock printing. You can find Ngeneʼs work in the collections of the Commercial Bank of Africa and the Dutch Embassy in Kenya, and private collections worldwide.
Opening reception is Sat., Oct. 1, 5-10 PM. The Gallery at the End of the World is open from 12-6 PM during the week.
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