Peterson Kamwathi
Photo credit Talitha Puri Negri
Attending Shang Tau Media Arts College in 2005 and Kenyatta University from 2014 to 2016, Kamwathi is now amongst the most highly considered of the artists currently residing in Kenya.
Much of Kamwathi's work is the artistic procreation of the marriage of animation and print-making. A fine example of this is Kamwathi's Noble Savage series of works: an investigation into the role of individuals in a group and their space within the group hierarchy - which could be perceived as a range or a 'territory' - and an exploration of the issues emerging through that lens.
He describes his work as “an attempt at depicting the different issues that impact on my society and me and, at times, the issues that affect the world as a whole. These issues are social, political or environmental, depending on my specific concerns at the given time.”.
He has exhibited in numerous venues around the world and was part of the Kenyan National Pavilion at the 57th Edition of the Venice Biennale in 2017. He has participated in the Young Congo Biennale 2019 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo and the 8th edition of the AKE Art and Books Festival, 2020 in Lagos as well as at the Frost Museum in Miami.
Residencies have included Guest-resident at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten 2010; Fellow at Sommerakademie Zentrum Paul Klee in 2011 and as Civitella Ranieri Fellow in Umbria in 2012.
His work is included in the collections of The British Museum; Bates College of Art Museum; Safaricom; The World Bank Headquarters; The East African Visual Arts Trust Collection, among others.
He shows regularly at One Off Contemporary Art Gallery in Nairobi, Kenya and at Hilger Contemporary in Vienna, Austria.
Kamwathi lives and works in Limuru, Kenya.
