Cyrus Kabiru

Last updated
Cyrus Kabiru
Born1984 (age 39–40)
Nairobi, Kenya
OccupationVisual artist
Known forSculptural eyewear and other wearables made of found objects
Movement Afrofuturism

Cyrus Kabiru (born 1984) is a Kenyan visual artist, who is self taught. [1] He is known for his sculptural eyewear made of found objects, [2] and is part of the Afrofuturism cultural movement. [1] [3] [4]

Contents

Biography

Kids from Casablanca, Morocco, visiting the art show "Material Insanity" (2019) at Marrakech's Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL). Work by Cyrus Kabiru. Ninos marroquies en visita guiada por el MACAAL 01.jpg
Kids from Casablanca, Morocco, visiting the art show "Material Insanity" (2019) at Marrakech's Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL). Work by Cyrus Kabiru.

Cyrus Kabiru is a visual artist born in 1984 in Nairobi, Kenya; [5] [2] one of six children who lived in a small home opposite a garbage dump. [6] Inspired by a story about his father repairing glasses with discarded materials, he became interested in creating objects by upcycling found objects and trash. [6] Kabiru's self-taught exposure to artistic thinking began at an early age, despite his father's wishes to pursue a separate career in electronic engineering. Kabiru attributes much of his incentive for his ongoing works to his father and their shared experiences. [6]

Kabiru is known for his signature style, usually constructing his sculptural works with found objects. [1] By using found objects, Kabiru gives a new life to the old materials, and the work deals with topics such as transformation and imagination of the future. [1] After creating his sculptures, he often photographs them as self-portraits. [7] Kabiru's art practice intersects sculpture, craftsmanship, photography, design and fashion. [8] Though much of his experience with art is self-taught, his career officially began in 2007 when he first exhibited in the Kuona Trust Visual Arts Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. [6]

Besides his production of serial artworks, Kabiru has attended various exhibitions and workshops. Notable solo exhibitions by Kabiru include Upcoming (2010) Kuona Trust, Nairobi, Kenya; Cyrus Kabiru (2011) Kunstpodium T Gallery, Tilburg, Netherlands; and C-Stunners & Black Mamba (2015) SMAC Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa. [8] His works are featured in museum collections, including Studio Museum Harlem and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. [3]

Afrofuturism

Kabiru's particular usage of discarded materials—often electronic parts, junk or other debris— is meant to evoke a sense of cyberpunk futurism with some visual similarities to African jewelry and mythology. Identifying as an Afrofuturist, he aims to construct his works in a way that combines science-fiction and traditional aesthetics, maintaining a consistent personal style. [9] His work is praised for using its unique style to change viewer perspectives, advancing discourse amidst discussions of African intellectual fields, and exploring the relationship between the past and future. [10] [11] [12] Kabiru's work has been featured in several Afrofuturist publications, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room. [13]

Notable artwork

C-Stunners series

The C-Stunners series—which is among his most well-known sets—is an ongoing collection of irregular, futuristic eyeglass sculptures with various designs. Kabiru began official production of this series in 2011, but has been making similar sculptures of this manner since his childhood. Similarly to a considerable portion of his physical artwork, his C-Stunners are constructed with recycled materials, such as discarded electrical parts and other refuse. [2] According to Kabiru, the name 'C-Stunners' is meant to signify the artist's name (Cyrus) followed by a statement of how it affects the audience; a "stunned" reaction. The C-Stunners series has received appraisal for inviting new perspectives from viewers upon how they perceive African culture. [14]

Self-portrait photography of Kabiru wearing these pieces are often displayed as their own works, such as the Macho Nne collection. [15]

Black Mamba series

The Black Mamba series is an assortment of assembled sculptures made to resemble the Indian-based bicycle brand of the same name. Kabiru created this series as an homage to the brand, which saw considerable usage as a method of transport in Kenya, though these bikes have gradually seen less activity due to urbanization in African neighborhoods. Kabiru also maintains a personal connection with the bicycles, having ridden one himself as a child. [16] This series of artworks has seen considerable public exposure, being linked to the inception of The End of Black Mamba, a documentary series also produced by Kabiru. [17]

Miyale Ya Blue, 2020

Miyale Ya Blue (2020) is a 60 x 65 x 15cm. assembled sculpture made with electronic waste and junk-like materials, decorated with vibrant coloration and noticeable adornments, [13] and is one of a series of sculptures that resemble custom-fashioned radios. Kabiru drew inspiration for this series from his own personal experiences with transistor radios; this specific piece gets its name from the Swahili word 'miyale' (meaning 'rays') to invoke the rays of the sun. [18] Miyale Ya Blue is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and is featured amongst a collection of Afrofuturist artworks. [13]

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

Group exhibitions

Collections

Publications

Honors and awards

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afrofuturism</span> Cultural aesthetic and philosophy

Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic, philosophy of science, and history that explores the intersection of the African diaspora culture with science and technology. It addresses themes and concerns of the African diaspora through technoculture and speculative fiction, encompassing a range of media and artists with a shared interest in envisioning black futures that stem from Afro-diasporic experiences. While Afrofuturism is most commonly associated with science fiction, it can also encompass other speculative genres such as fantasy, alternate history and magic realism. The term was coined by American cultural critic Mark Dery in 1993 and explored in the late 1990s through conversations led by Alondra Nelson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faith Ringgold</span> American artist (1930–2024)

Faith Ringgold was an American painter, author, mixed media sculptor, performance artist, and intersectional activist, perhaps best known for her narrative quilts.

Wangechi Mutu is a Kenyan American visual artist, known primarily for her painting, sculpture, film, and performance work. Born in Kenya, Mutu now splits her time between her studio there in Nairobi and her studio in Brooklyn, New York, where she has lived and worked for over 20 years. Mutu's work has directed the female body as subject through collage painting, immersive installation, and live and video performance while exploring questions of self-image, gender constructs, cultural trauma, and environmental destruction and notions of beauty and power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jochen Zeitz</span> German businessman (born 1963)

Jochen Zeitz is a businessman serving as the president, CEO and chairman of the board of Harley-Davidson, Inc. He is also Chairman of LiveWire Inc. Before that, he served as the chairman and CEO of Puma for 18 years. He also served as board member of Kering, the luxury goods company and chaired their Sustainability Committee, for whom he developed its global sustainability strategy. Zeitz is currently a board member of Harley Davidson, The B Team and Cranemere. In addition to this, Zeitz previously served on the board of Wilderness Safaris. Jochen Zeitz is also the co-founder of The B Team with Richard Branson, Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa and Founder of the Zeitz Foundation to support sustainable solutions that balance conservation, community, culture and commerce, and The Long Run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black science fiction</span> Science fiction involving black people

Black science fiction or black speculative fiction is an umbrella term that covers a variety of activities within the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres where people of the African diaspora take part or are depicted. Some of its defining characteristics include a critique of the social structures leading to black oppression paired with an investment in social change. Black science fiction is "fed by technology but not led by it." This means that black science fiction often explores with human engagement with technology instead of technology as an innate good.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willie Cole</span> American sculptor

Willie Cole is a contemporary American sculptor, printer, and conceptual and visual artist. His work uses contexts of postmodern eclecticism, and combines references and appropriation from African and African-American imagery. He also has used Dada’s readymades and Surrealism’s transformed objects, as well as icons of American pop culture or African and Asian masks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nandipha Mntambo</span> South African artist (born 1982)

Nandipha Mntambo is a South African artist who has become famous for her sculptures, videos and photographs that focus on human female body and identity by using natural, organic materials. Her art style has been self described as eclectic and androgynous. She is best known for her cowhide sculptures that connects the human form to nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salah Elmur</span> Sudanese visual artist

Salah Elmur also spelled Salah El Mur is a contemporary Sudanese painter, graphic designer, author, and filmmaker, who lives and works in Cairo, Egypt. His paintings have been exhibited in Sudan, the Middle East, East Africa, Europe and the United States and are held in notable museum collections, including the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL) in Marrakesh, the Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF) in the UAE, the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa MOCAA in Cape Town, the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa</span> Art museum, design/textile museum, historic site in Cape Town, South Africa

Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa is a public non-profit museum in Cape Town, South Africa. Zeitz MOCAA opened on September 22, 2017 as the largest museum of contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora. The museum is located in the Silo District at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town. A retail and hospitality property, the Waterfront receives around 24 million local and international visitors per year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sethembile Msezane</span>

Sethembile Msezane is a South African visual artist, public speaker and performer who is known for her work within fine arts. Msezane uses her interdisciplinary practice which combines photography, film, sculpture, and drawing to explore issues focused on spirituality, politics and African knowledge systems. Part of her works focus has been on the process of myth-making and its influence on constructing history as well the absence of the black female body in both narrative and physical spaces of historical commemoration. Msezanes work is held in galleries in South Africa as well as internationally and has won awards and nominations. Msezane is a member of the iQhiya Collective, a network of black women artists originating from Cape Town, Johannesburg and across South Africa.

Rosemary Namuli Karuga was a Kenyan visual artist. In 2017, she was named Artist of the Month by the National Museums of Kenya. She is known to be the first woman artist to have studied at Makerere University.

African design encompasses many forms of expression and refers to the forms of design from the continent of Africa and the African diaspora including urban design, architectural design, interior design, product design, art, and fashion design. Africa's many diverse countries are sources of vibrant design with African design influences visible in historical and contemporary art and culture around the world. The study of African design is still limited, particularly from the viewpoint of Africans, and the opportunity to expand its current definition by exploring African visual representations and introducing contemporary design applications remains immense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabiola Jean-Louis</span> Haitian artist

Fabiola Jean-Louis is a Haitian artist working in photography, paper textile design, and sculpture. Her work examines the intersectionality of the Black experience, particularly that of women, to address the absence and imbalance of historical representation of African American and Afro-Caribbean people. Jean-Louis has earned residencies at the Museum of Art and Design (MAD), New York City, the Lux Art Institute, San Diego, and the Andrew Freedman Home in The Bronx. In 2021, Jean-Louis became the first Haitian woman artist to exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Fabiola lives and works in New York City.

Gerald Machona is a Zimbabwean contemporary visual artist. The most recognizable aspect of his work is his use of decommissioned Zimbabwean dollars. Machona works in sculpture, performance, new media, photography and film. In Machona's work, he explores issues of migration, transnationality, social interaction and xenophobia in South Africa.

<i>Before Yesterday We Could Fly</i> Exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room is an art exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The exhibit, which opened on November 5, 2021, uses a period room format of installation to envision the past, present, and future home of someone who lived in Seneca Village, a largely African American settlement which was destroyed to make way for the construction of Central Park in the mid-1800s.

Thania Petersen is a multi-disciplinary artist. Her work is in the collections of notable museums and galleries including the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art and the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa.

Michelle D. Commander is a historian and author, and serves as Deputy Director of Research and Strategic Initiatives at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elana Brundyn</span> Fine art and cultural consultant

Elana Brundyn is a fine art and cultural consultant based in Cape Town, South Africa. She has previously worked as a commercial gallerist and a museum director.

Jamal Cyrus is an American conceptual artist who works in a range of media, including drawing, sculpture, textiles, assemblage, installation, performance, and sound. His artistic and research practices investigates the history, culture, and identity of the United States, questioning conventional narratives and foregrounding Black political movements, social justice concerns, and the experiences and impact of the African diaspora, including Black music.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Marshall, Julia; Stewart, Connie; Thulson, Anne (2021). Teaching Contemporary Art with Young People: Themes in Art for K-12 Classrooms. Teachers College Press. p. 61. ISBN   978-0-8077-6574-6.
  2. 1 2 3 Musanga, Mukanzi (2022-03-05). "Cyrus Kabiru". AFRICANAH.ORG. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  3. 1 2 3 Alteveer, Ian; Beachler, Hannah; Lawrence, Sarah; Commander, Michelle D. (2022-02-04). Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 11. ISBN   978-1-58839-745-4.
  4. ↑ Akintobi, Lamide (2021-07-28). "From the 'C-Stunner' to the 'Black Mamba,' Kenya's Cyrus Kabiru rides wave of success with new creations made from scrap". CNN. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
  5. ↑ Artnobel. Revista 8: María Ignacia Edwards: Replicando el orden del universo (in Spanish). Artnobel.es. p. 52.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "CyrUs kaBIrU". nataal.com. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  7. ↑ Rinehart, Richard (2022-01-21). Screen Time: Photography and Video Art in the Internet Age. Rutgers University Press. p. 45. ISBN   978-1-68448-415-7.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Cyrus Kabiru". Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA). Retrieved 2023-06-16.
  9. ↑ Bigoni, Clara (2019-09-14). "Afrofuturism: Liberation and inclusion beyond literature with N. K. Jemisin". roots§routes. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  10. ↑ Klein, Amelie (2015). "What Design Can and Should Be Doing in the 21st Century: Ten Proposals" (PDF). Making Africa: A Continent of Contemporary Design: 26–33.
  11. ↑ Constandius, Elmarie; de Villiers, Gera; Van Rooi, Leslie (2023). "Visual Redress in Africa from Indigenous and New Materialist Perspectives". Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN   9781032368535.
  12. ↑ Pirker, Eva Ulrike; Rahn, Judith (2023-02-28). Afrofuturism’s Transcultural Trajectories: Resistant Imaginaries Between Margins and Mainstreams. 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY: Taylor & Francis. ISBN   9781003358374.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: location (link)
  13. 1 2 3 Alteveer, Ian; Beachler, Hannah; Lawrence, Sarah; Commander, Michelle D. (2022-02-04). Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room. Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 4–17. ISBN   978-1-58839-745-4.
  14. ↑ Oboe, Annalisa (2019). "Sculptural Eyewear and Cyberfemmes: Afrofuturist Arts" (PDF). From the European South: A Transdisciplinary Journal of Postcolonial Humanities. 4: 31–44. ISSN   2531-4130 – via JSTOR.
  15. ↑ Langué, Yvon (2019-09-02). "Material Insanity". The Journal of Modern Craft. 12 (3): 275–280. doi:10.1080/17496772.2019.1678887. ISSN   1749-6772.
  16. ↑ Kuo, Lily (2016-07-19). "An artist remembers Africa's disappearing "Black Mamba" bicycles with his own whimsical designs". Quartz. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  17. ↑ "Presentation of "The End of Black Mamba I" by Cyrus Kabiru | Activities". CCCB: Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona. 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  18. ↑ "Meet the Artists: Cyrus Kabiru | Perspectives". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  19. ↑ Njathika (2010-08-02). "Art Exhibition: Constructions, Aug 7-31 2010 @ Kuona Trust". Nairobi Now :: Arts, Culture and Events. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  20. ↑ Kermeliotis, Teo (2013-11-13). "Lagos photo festival puts mega city in the spotlight". CNN. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  21. 1 2 "The Shadows Took Shape". Studio Museum in Harlem. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Africa First | Cyrus Kabiru". Africa First. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  23. 1 2 "The End of Black Mamba | H+F". H+F. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.