Visual artist Paul Onditi’s solo exhibition, Another World is Possible 2, opened at the Alliance Française Nairobi on the evening of October 7. Running until October 31, the exhibition reflects on what another world means at a time of environmental decay and climate change.
The exhibition features about 40 mixed media works that examine environmental degradation, a strong theme throughout Onditi’s practice.
In many of his pieces, trees are going down to leave space for buildings. He views this entire exhibition as a commentary on how modernity brings about environmental challenges. The title is also inspired by new possibilities around political and social factors that arise.
Among the pieces is The Trinity, a work that features identical figures to represent politicians giving the public a message on the same subject matter but in different ways, causing confusion and a lack of constancy.
“We’re living in a world where people are starting to adopt new social and environmental truths and convince themselves that this is the reality of the day. I look at what’s going on around us,” he says.
Onditi once presented Another World is Possible 1 at the same venue in 2013, but he had no idea he would return to the same concept 12 years later.
In that first edition, a piece referencing the Biblical Tower of Babel anchored the exhibition. to depict unity.
That edition is what laid the foundation for this second one, only that he didn’t know it then. “This new exhibition is much more political and environmental. It reflects the political instability and environmental values of our systems that we face today,” he says.
Onditi’s material experimentation also continues to evolve. When he did the first exhibition, it was just the beginning of his experiment with polyester sheets as canvases for his ideas.
Now, 12 years later, he discovered a larger version of the same material, one that’s commonly used on global art stages, to also be utilised here. He now mainly works in mixed media on polyester and also incorporates paper, glass, and canvas.
Each piece in Another World is Possible 2 is a showcase of his daily practice as an artist, for he always creates countless pieces whether or not he’s preparing for an exhibition.