Catalogue PDF - Circle Art Agency

Lead Sponsor
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Private & Confidential
EAST AFRICAN ENCOUNTERS
East African Encounters features twenty-five
artists from six countries: Kenya, Tanzania,
Uganda, Sudan, Rwanda and Ethiopia. It
includes work by both emerging and
established artists, many previously unseen
in Kenya.
Some of the artists are exhibiting and
gaining acclaim both locally and
internationally whilst some have not yet had
the visibility they deserve.
Circle’s third pop-up exhibition aims to show
our local and international collectors some of
the best contemporary artists in the region.
Circle would like to thank our leading
sponsor CFC Stanbic Bank who are
supporting all our events in 2014 and our
venue sponsor Ramara and drinks sponsor
Absolut.
Contact Danda for further information
[email protected]
+254 (0)22 672938
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Private & Confidential
DAWIT ABEBE, ETHIOPIA
In between 6
Acrylic on canvas
180 x 140 cm
Ksh 437 712
US$ 4974 SOLD
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Private & Confidential
DAWIT ABEBE, ETHIOPIA
Background 2
Mixed media on canvas
70 x 60cm
Ksh 263 032
US $ 2989 SOLD
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Background 3
Mixed media on canvas
70 x 60cm
Ksh 263 032
US $ 2989 SOLD
Private & Confidential
DAWIT ABEBE, ETHIOPIA
Dawit Abebe graduated from the Addis Ababa University School of Fine Art and Design with a Diploma in
painting, sculpture, graphics, photography and industrial design. Since 2001, he has been a member of the
Habesha Art Studio in Addis Ababa.
Abebe’s solo exhibitions include ‘X Privacy’ at the Alliance Ethio-Francaise, Addis Ababa (2012). Group shows
include the touring exhibition ‘Silver Sea Cross-Ship’ (2013-2014) as well as the display of the Habesha Art
Collection at the National Museum in Addis Ababa (2014) along with exhibitions in France, the UAE, and the
USA. He has recently been bought for the Saatchi collection and is showing in the Pangaea: New art from
Africa and Latin America exhibition at Saatchi Gallery in London.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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CLOUDY CHATANDA, TANZANIA
Untitled
Ink and pen on paper edition
83 x 114cm
Ksh 61 072
US$ 694 RESERVED
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Untitled
Ink and pen on paper edition
37.5 x 45cm
Ksh 32 648
US$ 371 SOLD
Private & Confidential
CLOUDY CHATANDA, TANZANIA
Cloudy Chatanda is an illustrator and cartoonist who trained at the Kinondoni Young Artist
Association in Dar es Salaam. His exhibitions include the East African Biennale in 2013 and various
exhibitions at the Nafasi Art Space.
Most recently, Chatanda is focusing on producing large-scale, ink on paper drawings that are studies of
contemporary life in Tanzania. These humorous drawings depict our infatuation with television and
dependence on digital information and the pursuit of wealth and status.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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ELTAYEB DAWELBAIT, SUDAN
Untitled
Mixed media on wood
144 x 68 cm
Ksh 314,400 SOLD
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Untitled
Mixed media on wood
45 x 33 cm
Ksh 68,120 SOLD
Private & Confidential
ELTAYEB DAWELBAIT, SUDAN
Dawelbait studied at the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Sudan. His studies were
interrupted when he was dismissed for political activities and he spent the following years living a nomadic
existence in exile. For the last 15 years, Eltayeb has been living in Nairobi and is renowned for his inventive
use of materials, recycling furniture and carpenters’ boxes as canvases to etch faces onto. These faces are a
commentary on the variety and richness of the people he has encountered.
He has exhibited widely including a solo show at TAD Gallery in Rome, 2003; a group show at Ensign Gallery
in London in 2004. He exhibited at the Toronto Art Fair in 2006, the Monaco Art Fair in 2010 and the
Gazambo Gallery in Madrid in 2013. Also in 2013, he completed a large commission for PwC Towers in
Nairobi.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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KEBREAB DEMEKE, ETHIOPIA
Menalesh Tera 2
Oil on canvas
95 x 70cm
Ksh 88 968
US$ 1011 RESERVED
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Menalesh Tera 4
Oil on canvas
90 x 72cm
Ksh 88 968
US$ 1011 SOLD
Private & Confidential
KEBREAB DEMEKE, ETHIOPIA
Born in 1987 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Kebreab Demeke graduated from the Alle School of Fine Art
and Design in 2010. He is a founding member of Nitin and 41art studio. In 2011, Kebreab was a
resident artist at ZCAC (Zoma contemporary Art Centre) in Harla, Dire Dawa and in 2012, the
resulting works were exhibited at Galleria Meinbiau in Berlin.
The works on display comment on water shortages and the distribution of natural resources. His
works act as a tool for the artist to explore the role of the artist in society through painting and
performance.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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SALAH ELMUR, SUDAN
The love Colonel
Acrylic on canvas
90 x 60 cm
Ksh 322 784
US$ 3, 668
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Robot Girl
Acrylic on canvas
90 x 60 cm
Ksh 322 784
US$ 3, 668
Father and Son
Acrylic on canvas
90 x 60cm
Ksh 322 784
US$ 3, 668
Private & Confidential
SALAH ELMUR, SUDAN
Elmur graduated in Graphic Design from the College of Fine and Applied Art, Sudan University, Khartoum.
Renowned as a painter of narratives, he has participated in group and solo exhibitions all over East Africa,
the Middle East and Europe since 1985. He has published 12 children’s books which have been translated
into many languages and is a successful film maker, directing six short documentaries and fantasy films
which have been shown at international film festivals. His film ‘Heaven’s Bird’ won the Jury Prize (Special
mention) at the international Short Film Festival “Images that matter” in Ethiopia 2010.
These paintings tell tales of characters he has met or imagined, the romantic Colonel, the boy in love with
a robot girl and the son who dare not tell his father about his new girlfriend.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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HUSSIN GAAMAN, SUDAN (Biography to come) Untitled
Scratching on scrape board
29 x 49 cm
Ksh 133 760
US$ 1 520
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Untitled
Scratching on scrape board
29 x 46 cm
Ksh 133 760
US$ 1 520
Private & Confidential
TAMRAT GEZAHEGN, ETHIOPIA
Likeness of Tribes
Watercolour and ink on paper
30 x 39 cm
Ksh 59,928
US$ 681 SOLD
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Families
Watercolour and ink on paper
30 x 39 cm
Ksh 59,928
US$ 681 SOLD
Private & Confidential
TAMRAT GEZAHEGN, ETHIOPIA
Tamrat Gezahegn graduated from the Alle School of Fine Arts and Design with a BFA in Painting. He
has taken part in numerous group and solo exhibitions both nationally and internationally. He is a
founding member of NAS Studio and Netsa Art Village. His work is featured in international
collections and in 2014, featured in the ‘Africa Now’ auction at Bonhams Auction House in London.
The works on view are experimental improvisations based on observations of mythical and
contemporary traditions.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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EHOODI KICHAPI, KENYA
Sisal Tea Lab
Mixed media on canvas
100 x 70cm
Ksh 126 000 SOLD
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Untitled
Mixed media on canvas
109.5 x 77.5cm
Ksh 126 000
Private & Confidential
EHOODI KICHAPI, KENYA
Kichapi began his career as a cartoonist and whilst he was teaching street children, he taught himself to
paint through vociferous reading, hard work and application. His work focuses on his study of the human
psyche and is often likened to the late painter Jean-Michel Basquiat. He is influenced by West African
music, Kenyan culture and everyday life.
Kichapi’s work is in a number of private collections in Kenya and has participated in local solo and group
exhibitions. He was one of seven African artists who featured in an exhibition entitled ‘Power and Rights’,
Contemporary Art from East and West Africa that toured Denmark in 2011/12. This year showed at Gafra
Gallery of African Art, London in a Kenyan artists’ group show.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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WANJA KIMANI, KENYA/ETHIOPIA
Untitled I & II (sold as pair)
Embroidery on canvas
60 x 45cm
Ksh 102 784
US$ 1168
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Private & Confidential
WANJA KIMANI, KENYA/ETHIOPIA
Wanja Kimani is a visual artist and writer based in Addis Ababa. Her practice weaves stories and visual
histories, which comment on the idea of home and displacement, memories and imaginations. Her work
has been featured in international exhibitions in Africa, Europe and Asia. In 2012, she participated in
Dak’Art – Biennial of Contemporary African Art, Senegal. Her solo exhibition titled ‘After the Rain’ was
held at Asni Gallery (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) in 2013. Her work is featured in the travelling exhibition ‘Still
Fighting Intellectual Perfidy – Video Art from Africa’.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Private & Confidential
OTIENO KOTA, KENYA
Baby Osinya
Mixed media
104 x 88 cm
Ksh 120,520 SOLD
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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OTIENO KOTA, KENYA
Kota studied Art and Design at school in Homa Bay until it was removed from the curriculum. After school he
moved to Nairobi to follow his passion for art and meeting artist Otieno Gomba he co-founded Maasai Mbili
Art Studio in Kibera slum, a community based art space supporting over 10 resident artists.
In 2006, he won second prize at the Goethe/Alliance Francaise art Competition and in 2007 he joined Kuona
Trust to develop his practice further. Kota calls his work ‘Ghetto Art’, he is a brilliant, driven, unconventional
and radical artist making art that is rooted in his urban experience. He uses a
wide range of materials from fabric, shoes, mosquito nets, scrap metal and old VHS tapes. He has held several
solo shows locally and is in many local and international private collections.
‘Baby Osinya’ is based on the child that was shot in the head during the Alshabab Likoni church attack in
Mombasa recently. Her mother was shot dead.
‘Victim Lika Tragedy’ is about the ‘changaa’ that killed over 200 Kenyans last month and the man and his friend
who by sharing a drink saved both their lives.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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MBUTHIA MAINA, KENYA
Copy of the cave painting at Kakapel
Mixed media
137 x 73 cm
Ksh 129 257
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Copy of the cave painting at Kakapel
Mixed media
139 x 74 cm
Ksh 129 257 SOLD
Copy of the cave painting at Kakapel
Mixed media
139 x 70 cm
Ksh 129 257 SOLD
Private & Confidential
MBUTHIA MAINA, KENYA
Maina is one of Kenya’s most unconventional artists; he works in a wide range of media from painting, sculpture, print, drawing,
installation and video. He received his BA in Philosophy & Sociology. He started painting in 1995 and was an early member of
Kuona Trust.
Maina has participated in many residencies and workshops locally and internationally over the last 20 years, including the
Liverpool Biennale, UK and the International Festival of Friendship, Birmingham UK. Mbuthia conducts research on African art,
history and culture for his own practice and for various arts organisations. He is very socially engaged, working
with Maasai Mbili Artists’ Collective and the school of Ideas Kibera and Yamogo Arts Project on community projects.
He has just completed a commission at the new terminal of JKIA. Selected exhibitions include: In Memoriam: A review of
Mbuthia Maina's past installations and video works, Goethe-Institut 2013, Nairobi; Tableau I: A matter of grave environmental
concern, Kuona Trust, 2011; Solo exhibition, Ramoma Museum, 2008; Kenya Art, Brooklyn Public Library, New York, 2002;
Violence-Memory: International Photography and Video Exhibition, Space for Cultural Dialogue, Tel Aviv, 2002; Liverpool
Monument (site specific installation), 2001; Faszination Afrika: Travelling exhibition of Kenyan Art through Central and Eastern
Europe, 2000; Images of Kakuma, Toppenhaus Museum and Festival Mundial, Netherlands, 1999.
This triptych is inspired by the cave paintings at Kakapel at Mt Elgon. Maina’s fascination for this ancient site goes back more
than a decade. He has made countless studies of it, emulating its symbols and markings, using different materials, techniques and
media.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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VITA MALULU, TANZANIA
Untitled
Plastic and wire
Ksh 276 672
US$ 3 144
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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VITA MALULU, TANZANIA
Malulu studied art at Bagamoyo College of Art (TASUBA). He began his career as a painter, making work
inspired by street-life in his neighborhood of Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam. A diverse artist he is also a
professional dancer
and musician with his own band called Malulu.
Following residencies at 32 Degrees East, Kampala and Kuona Trust, Nairobi, recent works have been
more experimental, using found objects including molded plastic in work that references corruption,
power and the underprivileged citizens who suffer at the hands of the powerful.
‘Chasing the Tail’, is part of a series of recent 3 dimensional works -the dog, the cat and the bird running
in circles around each other is a critique on the greed and selfishness that consumes contemporary life.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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SIDNEY MANG’ONG’O, KENYA
Tear Gas
Paper Collage
Ksh 119 771
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Cinematic series (large)
Paper Collage
70 x 104 cm
Ksh 64 885 SOLD
Private & Confidential
SIDNEY MANG’ONG’O, KENYA
Cinematic series
Paper Collage
65 x 79 cm
Ksh 64 885 SOLD
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Cinematic series
Paper Collage
65 x 78 cm
Ksh 64 885 SOLD
Private & Confidential
SIDNEY MANG’ONG’O, KENYA
Sydney Mang’ong’o began his art career at Maasai Mbili in Kibera. After five years working from Kuona
Trust, he now has a studio in the outskirts of Ngong town. Lesser known than some of his peers, his
ongoing experimentation with collage using the popular imagery of magazines and newspapers is unique
and exciting.
These works entitled ‘Cinematic’ and ‘Tear Gas’ were developed in the last year using a labour intensive
process of layering interesting found imagery, political jargon and textures on board to create a narrative
about the degradation of government.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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HENRY ‘MZILI’ MUJUNGA, UGANDA
Head is lonely (triptych)
Mixed media on canvas
60 x 120 cm
Ksh 176 088
US$ 2001
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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HENRY ‘MZILI’ MUJUNGA, UGANDA
Mzili graduated with honours from Margaret Trowel School of Industrial Fine Art (MTSIFA) of
Makerere University. He is also a holder of a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the
same University.
Mzili is an eclectic artist doing painting, sculpture, printmaking and performance art. He is
exploring ways of reviving indigenous expression among his fellow artists. Thus he believes in
networking between Ugandan and other African artists in order to share cultural content for
their artwork.
Mzili has exhibited his work in galleries in East and West Africa as well as the UK, Germany,
Italy, France and The Netherlands.
‘Head is Lonely’ (triptych) is the Head a vessel of knowledge and intelligence, or is it a vessel
for manipulation and exploitation? These are the questions evoked by ‘Head’ Henry Mzili’s
latest body of work. This triptych, in mixed media, uses scratches, pastel, and abstraction
which comply with the theme of indigenous expressionism that has for so long pervaded his
painting.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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PATRICK MULONDO, UGANDA
Untitled (sculpture)
Steel nails
90 x 55 x 18cm
Ksh 158, 136
US$ 1797
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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PATRICK MULONDO, UGANDA
Mulondo graduated from Makerere University, where he majored in sculpture modeling, carving and jewelry
making. His sculptures explore recycling metal scrap together with casted fiber glass to give old common
found objects an entirely new and extra ordinary life and purpose, which is uncommon in today’s Ugandan
art scene.
Mulondo participated in making of The Journey Monument, an art piece commemorating Uganda’s Golden
Jubilee in 2012. He was commissioned by the Ugandan Government in the production of Young Achievers
Award in 2011.
His work ‘Sculptural body Adornment 2013’ graces Makerere University’s Guidance and Counseling
Department. Mulondo has also participated in an ongoing group exhibition held at Diani Beach Art Gallery
Kenya.
‘Rebuilding my Identity II’ Mulondo created this piece inspired by the terrible effects of the Lord’s Resistance
Army in Uganda. The people of northern Uganda were badly treated by the LRA, led by Joseph Kony, for
over 20 years. Many of the people there lost their identity; their lips and noses were cut off and people
looked at them with a sense of alienation. The artist created this piece to tell a story of how the people of
northern Uganda did whatever they could to rebuild their identity and become proud to be the northern
Ugandan people again following the atrocities of the war.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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DENNIS MURAGURI, KENYA
Untitled (sculpture)
Mixed Media
240 x 25 x 24cm
Ksh 299 429 SOLD
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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DENNIS MURAGURI, KENYA
Muraguri graduated top of his class from the Buru Buru Institute of Fine Arts (BIFA) with a diploma in
Painting and Art History and has been based at Kuona Trust since 2005.
Muraguri is an exciting, cerebral artist who experiments with different media and subject matter. He is
perhaps best known for his wood cut prints featuring ‘Matatu Culture’ but his 3 dimensional work using
found materials such as wood, computer parts and kitchen utensils are equally captivating
He recently completed an extraordinary 3 metre long world map for the foyer of PwC made entirely
from found objects. He currently has a solo show at Kuona Trust.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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IAN MWESIGA, UGANDA
Lost in thought
Acrylic on paper
93  x 73 cm
Ksh 68 816
US$ 782
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Firmly scattered
Acrylic on paper
93 x 73 cm
Ksh 68 816
US$ 782 SOLD
Private & Confidential
IAN MWESIGA, UGANDA
Mwesiga graduated in 2014 with a BA (Hons) from the Margaret Trowell School of Fine Art at Makerere
University. Mwesiga was a graduate artist in residence at 32° East | Ugandan Arts Trust from June –
October 2013 and has exhibited in several galleries in Kampala including AKA Gallery, Mishmash Gallery
and a group exhibition at the Kampala Serena in 2012.
Mwesiga is an accomplished painter with an interest in the environment and social issues. Most recently
he has been concentrating on self-portraits and the human perception of beauty.
‘Lost in Thought’ challenges the human perception of beauty. In Uganda, portraiture is largely attributed
to realism and likeness to the sitter or subject. In this self-portrait Mwesiga sought to challenge this
tradition by looking at other artists’ interpretations of the self-portrait and what it means.
‘Firmly Scattered’ Mwesiga’s is about self-discovery as a young aspiring artist. Changing the palette to
darker shades and not conforming to the brushstrokes he had been formally taught, it is an example of
the artist’s experimentation with colour and form.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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PAUL NDEMA, UGANDA
Through thick and thin
Mixed media on canvas
94 x 63 cm
Ksh 120 032
US$ 1364
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Funny excuses
Mixed media on canvas
63 x 94 cm
Ksh 120 032
US$ 1364
Private & Confidential
PAUL NDEMA, UGANDA
Ndema attended Margaret Trowell School of Industrial and Fine Arts, Makerere University from
1999-2002 where he obtained his Bachelors in Fine Arts. He has exhibited widely in Uganda mainly at
Afriart Gallery in Kampala.
Ndema Paul’s depictions of different people, ornamental objects and expressive animals are at once
comforting and ominous. He is influenced by a diverse heritage of art history from Gustav Klimt to
contemporary East African artists and his works on paper, paintings and assemblages are infused with
potent symbolism and a sense of mystery and magic.
‘Through Thick and Thin’ This series of work seeks to add humour to serious subject matter. Imagery
of arrests made in Kampala by the police adorning the front pages of the newspapers are picked out
by the artist who then simplifies the composition by focussing on the figures and then adorns them
with enormous smiles and brightly coloured sunglasses.
‘Funny Excuses’ Following the teargas explosions on the streets of Kampala after the defiance of the
opposition leader, Ndema seeks to illustrate ‘the proud African stance even in the face of eminent
death by strangulation at the hands of the puppeteers.’ (Henry Mujunga ‘Mzili’)
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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ERIA ‘SANE’ NSUBUGA, UGANDA
Offenbarung
Mixed media on canvas
131 x 117cm
Ksh 213 840
US$ 2430 SOLD
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
The hatchet man
Mixed media on canvas
67 x 68 cm
Ksh 106 920
US$ 1215
Private & Confidential
ERIA ‘SANE’ NSUBUGA, UGANDA
Christ on the Cross
Mixed media on canvas
44 x 38 cm
Ksh 53 680
US$ 610
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Un Agneau
Mixed media on canvas
54 x 40 cm
Ksh 53 680
US$ 610
Private & Confidential
ERIA ‘SANE’ NSUBUGA, UGANDA
Nsubuga also known as ‘SANE’ is a contemporary Ugandan painter, illustrator, sculptor and art lecturer. Practicing
art since 1999, Eria has had several successful solo and group shows in Kampala, Nairobi, Dar-es-Salaam and beyond.
In November 2013, Sane’s work was sold at Circle’s East African art auction for over four times its estimate.
Sane is primarily a social artist choosing to study the climate of politics, allocation of resources, morality and
spirituality; some writers and scholars refer to him as a political artist.
"Offenbarung 17:5” Sane's spiritual quests draw him to scripture and he interprets the text by using images and the
very texts in question in German (Offenbarung 17:5), English (Revelation 17:5) and French (L'Apocalypse 17:5). This
particular text refers to a dark character referred to as 'Mystery Babylon'. The text forms an important part of his
composition and subject matter. He is looking for a deeper understanding of what some have called an instrument
of colonialism- the Bible as a tool to define his own and Africa's new authentic identity.
"Persecution of the Hatchetmen" This work is a depiction of the principle of poetic justice, where the 'hatchetmen'
or enforcers of a corrupt African regime turn from being the victimisers to being victims. This refers to recent
events in Kampala where a staunch and ruthless 'hatchetman' and his consorts find themselves marginalised and
literally forced out into the cold.
"The First Living Creature” This painting is a reference of a Seraph described in Revelation 4:7a. Sane’s spiritual
interests are prevalent in the imagery he presents.
‘Un Agneau’ Here, Sane depicts Christ symbolised as a Lamb who had been slain with 7 horns and 7 eyes
(Revelation 5:6)
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Private & Confidential
MICHAEL SOI, KENYA
China loves East Africa 2
200 x 100 cm
Mixed Media on canvas
Ksh 146,720
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Private & Confidential
MICHAEL SOI, KENYA
China loves East Africa 3
80 x 100 cm
Mixed Media on canvas
Ksh 59, 885
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Private & Confidential
MICHAEL SOI, KENYA
Soi was born and lives in Nairobi and is a member of what is often termed ‘the second generation’ of
Kenyan artists that emerged through Kuona Trust in the late 90s. In 1996, after studying at Creative Arts in
Nairobi, he began his career as a sculptor and over the years refined his own visual and artistic vocabulary
through painting.
Soi’s art began to receive local and international recognition, particularly in the diaspora, as he developed
an aesthetic vocabulary allied to social commentary. A recent series called ‘China loves Africa’ has been
widely collected and has caused controversy in the Kenyan Chinese community.
His work has been collected by the Casoria Museum of Contemporary Art, Naples, Standard Chartered
Bank (UK) and private collectors including ICC’s Luis Moreno Ocampo and writer, Michela Wrong and
lawyer Atsango Chesoni. He has recently had an exhibition in Seoul, South Korea.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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EPHREM SOLOMON, ETHIOPIA
Alcoholism 4
122 x 122cm
Woodcut plate and acrylic
Ksh 507,232
US$ 5764
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Alcoholism 1
122 x 122cm
Woodcut plate and acrylic
Ksh 507,232
US$ 5764
Private & Confidential
EPHREM SOLOMON, ETHIOPIA
Solomon observes and presents socio-political works using woodcut and mixed media.Views
of the city and the people that inhabit the spaces around him inform his work as does a
fictional world that exists beyond the present; a reality that is free from the limitations of
anecdotal recordings of his experience. Using black and white to symbolize this juncture in
reality, the chair represents the past, present and future authority while slippers represent
society.
His work has been featured in group exhibitions internationally. In 2014, he had his second
solo exhibition ‘Untitled Life’ at Tiwani Contemporary, London and has been acquired
recently for the Saatchi Collection.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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NADIR THARANI, TANZANIA
NO IMAGE
Untitled
ink on paper
76 x 56 cm
Ksh 85 976
US$ 977
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
9 – 13 - 5
ink on paper
76 x 56 cm
Ksh 85 976
US$ 977
9 – 1-10 Morengo
ink on paper
76 x 56 cm
Ksh 85 976
US$ 977 SOLD
Private & Confidential
NADIR THARANI, TANZANIA
Nadir Tharani studied architecture whilst exploring the visual arts, including graphics for magazines at
the same time. When his cartoons became unacceptable, he concentrated on painting. He has
exhibited intermittently since the 80s, and has written and illustrated several children’s books in
Tanzania.
‘Positions of Power’ are part of a series of drawings/paintings exploring the alignment of the human
body by those who exert power. 9-1-10 is also titled ‘Morenga’ in honour of the Namibian freedom
fighter who was executed in September 1907.
‘Untitled’ is from the 80s when he first explored the gestural, or as he wrote later: “the organization
or composition, the mark here or there….all this has its own intrinsic logic which requires much
effort to discern during the act of marking; and this inevitability can only be revealed during the act of
making”.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
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JOHN TAOUSS TUYISABE, RWANDA Africa ritual cleansing
Linocut print
100.5 x 72 cm
Ksh 167 640
US$ 1905 RESERVED
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
The Island of true self
Linocut print
72 x 100 cm
Ksh 167 640
US$ 1905
Private & Confidential
JOHN TAOUSS TUYISABE, RWANDA Tuyisabe attended primary and high school in Kigali, joined Kibungo Technical Institute College and spent
two years in Gisenyi art school in Rwanda. Unfortunately the tragedy of the genocide erupted unexpectedly
in 1994 causing Tuyisabe to lose his entire family.
The situation forced him to leave Rwanda in 2000 and he arrived in South Africa six months later. Here he
met artist Judith Mason who admired his work and talent so sent him to the Artist Proof Studios in
Johannesburg where he graduated in print making and painting.
Since then Tuyisabe has exhibited extensively in South Africa and the United States. Today John Tuyisabe lives
and works in Uganda.
‘African Ritual Cleansing’ whilst travelling through Africa having fled from his home country of Rwanda
following the genocide, John Taouss experienced the similarities of African rituals throughout the different
countries he visited. This print illustrates in his mind the core of these African rituals, which reflects the
seriousness of how Africans value their ancestors. ‘The Land of True Self’ this print is in the same series as African Ritual Cleansing and depicts an eerie but
powerful landscape, symbolic of the unknown journey the artist was undertaking following the tragedy in
Rwanda in which he lost his entire family. It evokes a landscape of spirituality where the artist believes that
the spiritual powers of this landscape protect people from generation to generation in their journey of life.
CIRCLE ART AGENCY– JUNE 2014
Private & Confidential

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