I want someone who gets my oddness-Nairobi Artist

What are you working on currently?

For the past five years, I have been running a series of pieces on the matatu culture in Kenya. It is about recording a culture that is very Kenyan. I wish I started earlier. In fact, I am trying to acquire old matatu photos.

Why matatus?

Because I like to do things that I know something about. I see matatus daily, I use them a lot. It is my reality. I see people painting Maasai herders and Maasai men and Maasai women... I can’t do it. No offence to them but they are not my reality. For me, the matatu industry in Kenya is very theatrical. The culture is rich in content. What I mean by theatrics is the chaos, comics and the hubbub that come with it. It is as though it has its own ecosystem.

Is this the only subject you are interested in?

No. I used to do surrealist paintings. Things placed oddly together. Dream-like. Realistic content but sort of distorted. That was about five years ago. The excitement for this kind of painting just ended for me.

How significant is your training to your work?

I wouldn’t say I became an artist because I went to an art college (Buruburu Institute of Fine Art). I knew what I wanted and school was just part of the process. Painting is something that I love from childhood. Incidentally, memories of my first paintings and drawings are of a matatu.

That is like discrediting school don’t you think?

Not really. I believe people are born with specific talents. And I think we have more than one talent, actually, the thing is to get which one you are dominant in and pursue it. School is okay. I learnt a lot that does come in handy.

What inspires you?

I have the ability to paint, take photos, sculpt... this ability is not forced. This is one thing that inspires me. I was a bright student until I discovered our art class, then I dropped everything - art became the centre of my work. For me, I don’t see art as a job or something I use to solve problems, I just want to do it. I have to do it.

What is your style?

I am a mixed media artist. I work with just about anything depending on what I want to communicate.

How do people respond to your work?

My work based on matatus is often a conversation starter. Everyone has something to say when they see art based on matatus. Negative and positive.

There is this theory about starving artists and wealthy artists and none in-between...

Money is the same everywhere. It is all about fiscal responsibility. Some artists are doing well, others are not. You can do well and then it goes all away. People get money, some more than others. Art is not like bread that people have to eat daily. We sell intermittently, thanks to art lovers who I think are special. Even I sometimes think I wouldn’t buy my own work if I was and art buyer. Viewing and appreciating art is free but buying art and investing in it takes money.

You are a 36-year-old bachelor...

It is not odd. It was odd some time back but these days there are many men like me.

You sound defensive...

I am. I am African. It is expected that by this time I should have been married... and it sort of bothers me when people want to get into that sort of conversation with me. When I see my friends getting married, that is when I go, ‘Hala! I should be doing that too,’ but other than that, I don’t put much thought into it.

Any specific reason why you are not married yet?

One, I have not met the right person. Two, I want to be stable first before I get married. I want my kids to have a good life. Not a life of suffering.

The right person...what is the ideal lady for you?

It keeps changing. But some things remain; I want someone with a mind of her own. Then I guess I want love, I want someone respectful and finally I would like to have a lady who can handle my oddness even if they don’t understand art.

Is this possible, all those things in one lady?

Not really. These are more like loose guidelines. It is almost like we don’t know what we want until we get it.

Is bachelor life working for you?

I like my alone time. I like whenI go home and just do my stuff. I believe most men dream of starting a family. I would like to do this too. I am not saddened that I am not married though, I have someone somewhere just like most bachelors. I am not alone ‘alone’. If you know what I mean.

Do you have a time cap on your bachelorhood?

I was brought up by my grandmother, then I lived with my mother. Single grandmother and single mother. I think it informs my choice. I want to get married but I don’t have the pressures that most people have from family and relations. There is no time cap really.