Between April 10 – 19, Chico Leco (a program of the NEST focusing on artistic collaborations between fashion designers, stylists, photographers and directors) unveiled eight stunning collections by Kenyan designers Katungulu Mwendwa, Kepha Maina, Nick Ondu (Ankara Vintage), Ruth Abade (Black Fly), Sydney Owino (Blackbird), Sunny Dolat, Sheila Amolo and Wambui Mukenyi showcased by conceptual [...]
CONTINUE READINGGeert Goiris is a visual artist working primarily with photography. He lives and works in Antwerp, Belgium. His work has been described as otherworldly and dreamlike, “creating poetry out of solitude, emptiness and decay.” An explorer at heart, Geert has travelled as far as the frozen deserts of Antarctica (twice, no less!) to watch and [...]
CONTINUE READINGIn early February, we hosted Staceyann Chin for a series of conversations and performances here in Nairobi. In this interview conducted during the visit (after a morning spent at Maasai Market), she openly explores her experience of having to confront the familiar nuances present in her interactions with people in Kenya – patterns similar to [...]
CONTINUE READINGOn February 15th, we held “An Evening with Staceyann Chin” at the Southern Sun Mayfair Hotel in Nairobi, where Staceyann Chin performed some of her poems and read excerpts from her book (read about one of our guest’s experiences here). One of the poems she performed during the evening was “Tweet This, You Small-Minded Motherfucker!” [...]
CONTINUE READINGBy Kenne Mwikya Staceyann Chin’s shoulders move to the hip-hop booming from the hall’s speakers before the start of her show. She later comments that this is part of her process – sitting among the audience, quietly collecting and analyzing tidbits of conversation to be used over the course of her show. The accumulating crowd [...]
CONTINUE READINGThe most recent edition of the monthly NEST film festival “Eye See” was a journey into Latin America held on 26th January 2013. Many thanks to all the people who came through (at some point our screening room was full beyond capacity and those who could not get in hung out and chatted at the [...]
CONTINUE READINGFebruary is People Power month at the NEST, and we’re proud to announce that from 10 – 18 February 2013, we shall host Jamaican poet and performance artist Staceyann Chin for a series of extra-special Biskoot conversations with artists and activists, as well as a book-reading and performance here in Nairobi on the 15th of [...]
CONTINUE READINGDan Muchina is an experimental artist, describing himself as an “Abstract excursionist at the Golden Mojo Clan”. His first short film, Santerium, was The NEST’s debut Curiosity project, exploring traditional spiritual beliefs of the African diaspora, art as a language and why people fear the things they do. The short film is now up on [...]
CONTINUE READINGKevin Karanja is a self-taught digital designer based in Nairobi, specializing in motion and graphic design. He is currently experimenting at the NEST with our second Curiosity – involving custom font and graphic design. He is also designing a series of graphical idents for the NEST. Stay tuned for details of the finished projects. To [...]
CONTINUE READINGThe NEST hosted a get-together for members of the press – photographers, journalists and editors – to visit the venue, meet the staff, resident artists and learn what the NEST is all about. We also had guest artists and various bloggers in attendance. Above: Fashion designers Nick Ondu and Katungulu Mwendwa, visual artists Brian Kivuti [...]
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