On the surface, Onyis Martin seems to explore a wide array of themes – human trafficking, repressive environments, migration, politics, corruption, displacement, and consumerism. But all these ideas are linked by an on-going concern – the mental and physical discombobulation of young African adults and their difficult search for a place in a world that seems so full of opportunity and yet so restrictive.
His ‘Papers of freedom’ series presents young men and women afloat on white paper unable to find solid ground anywhere – at home or abroad. In the series, “Talking Walls”, Martin explores information flow and its relationship to freedom and social structure.
Born 1987 in Kusum, Kenya, Martins trained as an apprentice and honed his creativity at the Godown Arts Centre and Kuona Trust in Nairobi. He paints in Nairobi and teaches art and crafts to children in Mathare and Kibera slums in Nairobi.