Syowia Kyambi

Syowia Kyambi is a multimedia and interdisciplinary artist and curator whose work spans photography, video, drawing, sound, sculpture, and performance installation. She is of Kenyan and German descent, based in Nairobi, Kenya. She is known for her "performative installations that recast historical (Western) narratives and intervene in spheres of colonial activities" with work reputed for tackling "complex and sometimes difficult or tabooed matters" that afford "multiple points of entry, grounded in a sense of place and history while recognizing the mutability of those concepts." Through focusing on historical past, she also draws the audience's attention to daily life through her artwork.

Early life and education Syowia was born in 1979 in Nairobi, Kenya, to a Kenyan father and German mother and grew up in Kenya. At 18 she decided to fly to the United States. She attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2002 before returning to Kenya in 2003. She holds an MFA from the University of Plymouth - Transart Institute (2020).

Projects

'Rose's Relocation' 28 cm x 38 cm, digital piece printed on matte paper

Miriam Syowia Kyambi is always tying her culture back into her projects. A piece called 'Rose's Relocation' is a digital piece printed on matte paper. This piece is 28 cm x 38 cm. Kyambi's representation combines two worlds of this one character centered in the photo. This character is living in rural Kenya. This character is exposed to French culture and the materialism involved there. This character is left feeling alone and struggling with self-recognition. The character was in Kenya in the past, but now facing France in her present life, she is confused between the two countries.

Exhibitions Kyambi has exhibited in galleries, museums, and project spaces in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Kenya, Mali, Mexico, Senegal, Sweden, France, South Africa, Uganda, United Kingdom, the USA and Zimbabwe. She aims to engage the viewer in a dynamic process that will leave them with a powerful visual impression they will never forget. Fracture I, 2011, installation & performance Between Us, 2014, installation & performance Permiso: Peep Box, 2009, mixed media installation Infinity - Flashes of the Past, 2007, permanent installation Portals (I) Houses of the Present Past, 2010, mixed media installation What Cultural Fabric?, 2010, photography Permiso: Excuse Me, 2009, photography

Fracture I (2011–2015) Source:

Fracture I is a performance art piece viewed in the Kouvola Art Museum that was first performed at its opening on 29 April 2011. The performance lasted roughly one hour.

According to Johanna Vuolasto, who is a curator at the Poikilo Kouvola Art Museum, in this performance, Kyambi uses the female body to transcend her message of how individuals store their experiences, good and bad, and continue to live their lives. Kyambi explores the question of what will happen to humanity if people cannot process those abhorrent experiences or mourn the lives they have lost.

Between Us (2014) This piece is an experimental multi-media production that incorporates performance, installation, photography and video.

In this work, Kyambi collaborated with another artist and choreographer, James Mweu, along with dancers from the Kunja Dance Theatre, to help her perform and create material that centralizes her personal, contemporary viewpoints; such as the body, gender issues, and social perception. the National Museum of Kenya, the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI) and with the Sindika Dokolo Foundation as well as a number of private collections.