Urban Camoflage, 2024, Edition 1/3 - Photographic print on Fine Art Velvet paper - 18 x 26 cm unframed - Kshs 40 000
Opening 30 August 2025
Talitha Puri Negri
My Secret Life of Red
Photographs
I am intrigued by red, as it is a colour that affects the human psyche. Studies have shown that waitresses who wear red are more likely to receive bigger tips from men. Olympians who wear red in combat sports, statistically have an edge over their opponents.
The earliest examples of dyed cloth, six or seven thousand years ago, were red. Egyptians wrapped their mummies in red linen. Roman generals and British Redcoats wore red. The Maasai Moran is painted in red ochre. Kings and Cardinals wore and are still today, ceremoniously dressed in red. Three quarters of the world’s flags contain the colour red; making it a popular colour for national identity.
In the west the devil and hell are often depicted in red and prostitutes work red light districts. In the east red is associated with good luck and joy. Gifts of money at weddings are given in red lacquered envelopes and red garments are used in celebratory events.
For its connection to power and sexuality it has been used by brands in advertisement and branding, as Cocoa Cola. It has moreover been a popular colour in the arts; the Pre-Raphaelites, to Rothko and Anish Kapoor have used red in their pairings and/or installations.
Over the years I have subconsciously, and later consciously, been documenting my contact with red. From the houses of my childhood in the Tuscan hills to the walls in the slum of Korogocho. Red resonates with identity, with love, with passion and all the feelings that are connected to our homes and people who live in them. Red is the colour of the Kenyan soil, of the country I have chosen to live in and that has made me the person I am today.
Talitha Puri Negri - Nairobi - August 2025
The earliest examples of dyed cloth, six or seven thousand years ago, were red. Egyptians wrapped their mummies in red linen. Roman generals and British Redcoats wore red. The Maasai Moran is painted in red ochre. Kings and Cardinals wore and are still today, ceremoniously dressed in red. Three quarters of the world’s flags contain the colour red; making it a popular colour for national identity.
In the west the devil and hell are often depicted in red and prostitutes work red light districts. In the east red is associated with good luck and joy. Gifts of money at weddings are given in red lacquered envelopes and red garments are used in celebratory events.
For its connection to power and sexuality it has been used by brands in advertisement and branding, as Cocoa Cola. It has moreover been a popular colour in the arts; the Pre-Raphaelites, to Rothko and Anish Kapoor have used red in their pairings and/or installations.
Over the years I have subconsciously, and later consciously, been documenting my contact with red. From the houses of my childhood in the Tuscan hills to the walls in the slum of Korogocho. Red resonates with identity, with love, with passion and all the feelings that are connected to our homes and people who live in them. Red is the colour of the Kenyan soil, of the country I have chosen to live in and that has made me the person I am today.
Talitha Puri Negri - Nairobi - August 2025
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Each photograph is part of an edition of three - the sold works are so far 1/3 so two more exist for sale.
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Born in Milan in 1982, Talitha Puri Negri devoted the last 11 years of her artistic career both to photography and to a humanitarian commitment in Nairobi, Kenya. She founded an Educational Trust in 2014 and currently lives in Nairobi.
Her first exhibition in 2012 was at Sotheby’s in Milan and consisted of a selection of photos taken during the months she spent in Kenya; the proceeds were donated to the NGO Twins International that operates in Korogocho, Nairobi.
In 2013 she again exhibited at Sotheby’s, showing on this occasion, photos taken during her travels in India and in Bangladesh; the proceeds were channeled to the NGO Association for Sewa and its projects to support women: Sewa Lucknow (India) and Banchte Shekha (Bangladesh).
In 2014 she exhibited once again at Sotheby’s and this time, her photos were taken in Kurdistan - North Iraq. The proceeds were donated to the NGO Emergency, to support their work with the local community.
In 2021 & 2022 she participated in two group photography shows at One Off Contemporary Art Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya.
August 2024 saw her first solo show at One Off Contemporary Art Gallery, titled 'Watching you, Watching Me'.
Her articles and photos have been published in: Vanity Fair, Grazia.it, Elle and Elle.it.
Her first exhibition in 2012 was at Sotheby’s in Milan and consisted of a selection of photos taken during the months she spent in Kenya; the proceeds were donated to the NGO Twins International that operates in Korogocho, Nairobi.
In 2013 she again exhibited at Sotheby’s, showing on this occasion, photos taken during her travels in India and in Bangladesh; the proceeds were channeled to the NGO Association for Sewa and its projects to support women: Sewa Lucknow (India) and Banchte Shekha (Bangladesh).
In 2014 she exhibited once again at Sotheby’s and this time, her photos were taken in Kurdistan - North Iraq. The proceeds were donated to the NGO Emergency, to support their work with the local community.
In 2021 & 2022 she participated in two group photography shows at One Off Contemporary Art Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya.
August 2024 saw her first solo show at One Off Contemporary Art Gallery, titled 'Watching you, Watching Me'.
Her articles and photos have been published in: Vanity Fair, Grazia.it, Elle and Elle.it.