The Mavericks

Circle Art Gallery, 30 April – 22 May 2015

Kota Otieno 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 they 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 Institut/Alliance Francaise art Competition and in 2007 he joined Kuona Trust Centre for Visual Arts to develop his practice further. He now lives and works in a private studio on the outskirts of Nairobi. He has held several solo exhibitions in Nairobi, at the Goethe Institut, Le Rustique restaurant, Ramoma and Kuona Trust and he has a strong following with local and international collectors.

Michael Wafula has been painting for many years and is also a graphic designer, a master printer and a teacher. After receiving a diploma in graphics design and painting at the Creative Art Centre in 1992, he began designing and printing billboards, digital car stickers, banners, corporate t-shirts and election branding, among other things. In 1997, he joined the Kuona Trust Museum Art Studio at Nairobi National Museum where he participated in numerous artists’ workshops and forums. In 2007, he founded Kijiji Art Studio in Kayole, the studio has since moved to Komarock at the main county market. He also has a private studio at Kitengela and has recently opened a new art centre in his rural home of Kakamega.

His work has been exhibited locally and abroad in Kenya, Tanzania, Spain, Italy and China and most recently a travelling exhibition in San Francisco, USA.