Phase-I
“To Navigate: setting in motion some responses to this pandemic and change”
Nairobi, Kenya
Whilst lockdown in Kenya - between two sites—Nairobi and Chale Island, very distinct natural references of the land and sea informed the work that was created.
‘Karura’ is a series of spontaneous visual notes in the form of drawings and paintings from Karura Forest, Nairobi. Sound recordings from the forest will back the visual work - making it an immersive installation at the open studio. The paintings are done in oils and sanguine—true to the colour of the Kenyan red earth.
The forest was a respite and an escape from the city, especially a city under curfew. Karura Forest is one of the last remaining local indigenous forests to provide a vital carbon sink for Nairobi’s growing urban activity. It also serves as an important water catchment area and has great relaxation and recreational value for Nairobi city dwellers. The site is relevant for work in themes of ecology and land—an area affected by the Pandemic.
"Kenya was also home for some part of the Pandemic. Once I could travel, after clearing my immigration status whilst locked down in London - I set out to Africa from Europe. The work that I created whilst in Kenya was based on my underlying reactions to transitions, moving, waiting."
Himani Gupta
Karura-I
Oil on canvas board
Karura-II
Oil, oil pastel, sanguine, resin on canvas board
"I used the skies, plants, earth, objects, buildings as art material to respond to a new understanding and experience of time. Time that sits still and rushes past, sometimes both at once. Time in a place which was planned to be home."
Himani Gupta
Karura-III
Oil, sanguine, resin on canvas board
Karura-IV
Oil, acrylic, sanguine on canvas board
Karura-V
Oil, oil pastel, charcoal on canvas board
Karura-VI
Oil, sanguine, resin on canvas board
Karura-VII
Oil, acrylic, resin on canvas board
Karura-VIII
Oil on canvas board
Forest detail-a
Oil on canvas
Forest detail-b
Oil on canvas