Kaloki Nyamai lives and works in Nairobi. He is a self-taught artist who began his career by using charcoal to explore and document his perceptions of the life in the slum settlement where he grew up. His main inspirations were his mother, who worked in fashion, and his grandmother, who was a musician. His mother encouraged his early artistic yearnings while his grandmother’s stories helped define his ideas about life and the evolution of African history.
He is a multidisciplinary artist who has studied interior design, film, and taught art classes before dedicating himself to his craft – explores how history and identity are intertwined.
His works are dense, multimedia creations characterized by rich textural layers, offering fragments and ideas to be pieced together slowly. He creates works on canvas, boards, metal, video, and installations that explore the parallels between the past and the present.
His works have been presented in fairs and exhibitions in Africa and Europe. In 2018, he participated in the third edition of the Kampala Biennale, curated by Simon Njami.