A villa in Westlands, Nairobi, was transformed into an art museum for a group art exhibition titled Habitat, where art and architecture intersect.
At Elements Luxury Living, this exhibition invites viewers to walk through rooms and walls designed for home life now as spaces for artistic expression.
Led by artist and art director Myrna van der Veen in collaboration with curator Linda Chao of Sena Art Gallery, Habitat brings together 13 artists: Adlan Yousif, Beverline Ashioya, Children of Wajukuu, Esther Oyeyemi, James Kamande, Jean D’Amour, Meshack Oiro, Ngugi Waweru, Romeo Niyigena, Sammy Mutinda, Stephen Ndavi, Sophie Munanu, and Tuyizere Jean Noel.
The idea came about after the owner of the villa asked Myrna if she could pursue an artistic venture with it.
From that conversation grew an idea to rethink how art can live within a household.
Myrna, who creates opportunities for artists to get corporate clients, reached out to Linda, who gives a platform to emerging artists. Myrna is passionate about bridging the divide between emerging artists and the corporate world.
“As an art director, I plan exhibitions that attract corporates who want to strengthen their brand identity and spaces through art. While multinationals want to brand themselves, I encourage them to look within and buy art from local artists,” Myrna says.
Linda explains that they were going for a museum feel in a villa.
Noting that people find artistic spaces intimidating, setting this exhibition in a familiar domestic space makes art more approachable and habitable.
“Some visitors think such spaces are not for them. This exhibition feels like home; it invites people to take their time looking at art and see art as something to purchase and live with,” Linda says.
Each artist was given a room that displays works that reflect what home means to them.
James Kamande’s steel sculptures, such as Shapes of Daily Deals and We Advertised Our Dreams, evoke residential scapes and labour and explore urbanization, wage work, and economic pressures. Showing residential buildings that also house shops, his artworks highlight the resilience of working individuals to thrive in challenging environments.
Ngugi Waweru’s Writing on the Wall is a sculpture made of worn-out knives, corrugated sheets, iron sheets, and motorcycle chains.
The piece takes the form of a protective shape, and the knives collected from different households in Mukuru carry varied stories.
The Children of Wajukuu collective created a tapestry using donated leather offcuts from Ikwetta. Stephen Ndavi’s Hide and Seek draws from his childhood memories in informal settlements, capturing the joy of children playing.
Romeo Niyigena from Rwanda presents a women series, each piece depicting the subjects in their own spaces of comfort and contentment, fully at ease within their environments.
Each woman, for instance, in pieces like Time Alone and Aware of My Inner Whispers II, although in separate pieces, speaks to each other about their distinct life experiences and personalities.
In the villa’s wardrobe room, Sophie Munanu displays artworks that fuse fashion to come up with wearable art.
Her piece, An Open Heart, speaks of loving boldly and without the fear of being hurt. Another piece, Sprout: A Journey of Growth and Triumph, was born from her personal experience at a time when she was transitioning from full-time employment to becoming a self-employed artist.
Made from tulle, satin, regilene, and both artificial and real flowers, she sees the piece as a paradise in bloom.
Habitat, which opened on October 5 encouraged viewers to live with art.