Thandiwe Muriu: She turns African fabrics into optical illusions and the world can't look away

Key Concepts

• Textile as a Canvas: Using fabrics as a medium to explore social issues and identity.
• Disappearing Act: A visual technique where subjects blend into the background, symbolizing the feeling of being overlooked or losing oneself in societal structures.
• Tie-Dye: An ancient dyeing technique involving tying, twisting, and dipping fabric to create patterns.
• Environmental Co-creation: The concept that the natural environment plays an active role in the artistic process, influencing the outcome beyond the artist's direct control.
• Surrender of Control: The artist's acceptance of external influences, particularly from the environment, in their creative work.
• African Pottery Inspiration: Using the shapes and forms of traditional African pottery to inspire hairstyles in photographic subjects.
• African Proverbs: Incorporating proverbs as titles for artworks to imbue them with cultural wisdom and deeper meaning.
• Contemporary African Art Movement: The global rise and recognition of African artists and their cultural heritage.
• Community Engagement in Art: The belief that art can transform communities through deep engagement and collaboration.

Tandi Moro: Clouds Bring Blessings Exhibition

This summary details the work and exhibition of Kenyan artist Tandi Moro, focusing on her new solo exhibition, "Clouds Bring Blessings," at 193 Gallery in Paris. The discussion highlights her artistic evolution, the themes in her work, and her perspective on the contemporary African art scene.

The Striking Visuals: Textiles and Identity

Tandi Moro's art is immediately recognizable for its use of textiles as a canvas to address social issues and identity. A key visual element is the optical illusion where women appear to disappear into the fabrics behind them. Moro explains this as a personal reflection of her own experience as a woman, feeling the potential to "disappear into the fabric of society" if not true to her individual self. This technique serves as a powerful metaphor for the challenges of maintaining individuality within societal expectations.

From Commercial Photography to Personal Art

Moro's journey into fine art is an interesting one. She was Kenya's first female commercial photographer, working with major companies. The shift to deeply personal art was initiated by a direct message on Instagram from a gallery that saw her personal work. This personal work began as a way for her to answer questions she had as a woman, using photography as her journal to explore her identity within a conservative cultural context. Her initial exposure to photography began at age 14 when her father gifted her a camera. Lacking formal photography schools in Kenya at the time, she learned through self-study using resources like "the University of YouTube" and magazines.

"Clouds Bring Blessings": A New Artistic Direction

Moro's latest exhibition, "Clouds Bring Blessings," marks a significant departure as she has, for the first time, created the fabrics herself using the tie-dye technique.

The Tie-Dye Process and Environmental Co-creation

The tie-dye process is described by Moro as akin to "doing hair," involving tying, twisting, dipping, and squeezing. She notes the "strange assaulting smells," even comparing it to the smell of burning hairpieces used to secure braids. The visual transformation of colors through the dyeing process is described as satisfying.

Crucially, for this new body of work, Moro views the environment as an "uninvited co-creator." She explains that this series is not just about fabric but about the "undeniable entanglement between what we make and where we make it and the world we make it in." Initially, she believed she would have complete control over the fabric creation. However, she discovered that the environment significantly influenced the outcome. While tie-dye is a scientific process involving calculations and dye mixing, environmental factors like wind, temperature, and humidity are unpredictable and affect the final result, even with identical tying techniques. This realization led to a "work of release" for Moro, requiring her to "surrender control" to this "uninvited author."

Raphael Gatel, the curator of the exhibition, emphasizes the universal aspect of tie-dye, noting its use across cultures like Japanese and Hindu. He observes that audiences react to the fabrics with their own personal perspectives, highlighting the universal history of fabric as a point of connection.

Artwork: "This is my paintbrush of wonder across the sky"

One specific artwork discussed is titled "This is my paintbrush of wonder across the sky." Moro names her artworks after memories, and this particular piece is named after a memory related to the sky, representing a moment of deep unity with the environment. The textile technique used for this piece is called "nadia." Moro explains that tie-dye patterns are often named after the person or circumstances of their creation, citing "samosa corona" as an example invented during COVID-19. While she doesn't disclose the specific memories for this series, each work is tied to a location where the memory occurred.

Inspiration from African Culture: Hairstyles and Pottery

Moro pays close attention to details like hairstyles and eyewear in her photographs. She explains that as she reflected on the environment as a source of creation, she looked back at how historically humans have worked with the environment. In African culture, pottery is a significant example. Consequently, the hairstyles in her images are inspired by different African pots, with specific shapes directly referencing particular pots, such as the neck of a "Tootsie watering pot."

Artistic Evolution and the Book "Camo"

The exhibition in Paris is Moro's third solo exhibition. Her previous works and the book "Camo," released the previous year, are also mentioned. A notable aspect of her work is the use of African proverbs as titles for her photographs. She shares a favorite proverb relevant to her current project: "The rainbow does not show itself until after the rain," or alternatively, "If you want to look at the end look at the beginning." This proverb resonates with her journey of returning to history to remember forgotten environmental lessons.

The Global Rise of Contemporary African Art

Moro is part of a significant global wave of recognition for contemporary African art and artists. She attributes this visibility to a growing celebration of African cultural diversity as an asset rather than a hindrance. Releasing themselves to their cultural heritage has led to "beautiful results."

Challenges and Responsibilities as an Artist in Kenya

Moro continues to live and work in Nairobi. She notes that much has changed in Kenya, with a more open community that recognizes art's contribution to the social fabric. However, challenges remain, particularly with logistics and the high cost of moving artworks in and out of the continent, though she is optimistic these will be resolved.

She expresses gratitude that her success has come later in her career, allowing her to "figure out who I was and what I wanted to say" before gaining wider recognition. This self-discovery has deeply influenced her work. Regarding responsibility, Moro is passionate about "creating with my community." For the "Clouds Bring Blessings" project, she collaborated with a local organization supporting refugee girls in East Africa to create the fabrics, believing that art has the potential to transform communities through deep engagement.

Hopes for the Exhibition Audience

For visitors to "Clouds Bring Blessings" at 193 Gallery, Moro hopes they will "question their relationship with the environment" and begin to see it "more as an equal rather than something that we complain about or struggle with." This aligns with the exhibition's title, "Clouds Bring Blessings," suggesting that even challenging elements like rain can be beneficial.

Exhibition Details and Related Information

The exhibition "Clouds Bring Blessings" runs at 193 Gallery in Paris from November 8th to January 15th. Her book "Camo" is available now. The segment concludes by mentioning another exhibition opening at 193 Gallery on the same day: "Noir" by Roxan and Banganger.