Thandiwe Muriu, a Kenyan photographer who is as playful as her work, presents new pieces from her CAMO collection for her solo show in Paris. As a woman artist, she fights every moment to assert her place and her individuality in a profession that was previously dominated by men. It is a family struggle that began in the 1980s with her mother, and which Thandiwe Muriu continues to pursue in the schools of Nairobi. Indeed, she does not hesitate to go frequently to the schools to explain valiantly to the little girls:
"You too can be an artist! "
In her CAMO series, Thandiwe Muriu explores the colour and beauty of African creation. Through it, she seeks to enhance the value of the black woman, who is still too often excluded from the standards of beauty in the depths of her country. Ebony skin, extravagant fabrics and accessories from everyday life are her trademark.
The photographer began her CAMO series with the aim of reclaiming the self-love of the African woman. She explores who she is as an artist but also as a black woman.
The choice of pattern and colour is a real means of expressing the individual's personality, countering the standardised forms of local tailors.
It is also at the market that the photographer finds her accessories. These accessories are taken from the everyday life of Kenyans. The artist explains that this artistic recycling also finds its inspiration in local practices. Indeed, this creative act is commonplace for a population often lacking in means.
"When you have little, you transform it and reuse it. "
The new works that have been added to his collection play with the theme of cooking. Thandiwe Muriu is also keen to emphasise the recurrent presence of accessories revolving around Soda.
Indeed, following colonisation and the various bans on the consumption of traditional alcohol, these were quickly imposed on local culture and now accompany certain rites and practices of the Kikuyu tribe to which she belongs.
Finally, Thandiwe Muriu's work is marked by the presence of the architectural hairstyles of her models, a true research on an ancestral culture lost by colonisation.
Noticed in 2019 by several media including CNN Africa, Thandiwe Muriu won the People Choice Award for Emerging Photographer of the Year in 2020 at PhotoLondon.