The Roll
Featured Creatives
Profiles drawn from those featured and present at recent First Wednesday editions.
NWView collection →Nedia Were
Painter · @nediawere
Eldoret-born painter (b. 1989) and one of East Africa's most internationally collected voices. His figurative work renders charcoal-skinned subjects through a lens he calls Afro-optimism — foregrounding joy, beauty and resilience. Shown at Sotheby's London, Frieze and the Florence Biennale.
MSView collection →Michael Soi
Painter · @michaelsoistudio
One of Kenya's most recognisable contemporary artists (b. 1972, Nairobi). Bold black outlines, flat bright colour, a cartoonist's wit turned on politics, power and Nairobi life — see 'China Loves Africa', 'Shame in Venice' and 'I Love Nairobi'.
BBView collection →Brian Babu
Stylist & Designer · @brianbabu
Leading Kenyan fashion and brand stylist. Long-time stylist behind Sauti Sol and the Sol Generation family; brand work for Netflix, Safaricom and Tecno. Named Stylist of the Year at the 2016 Kenya Fashion Awards.
EKView collection →Emmaus Kimani
Photographer & Researcher · @e_kimani
Nairobi photographer, consultant and researcher — resident photographer of the Brush Tu Artists Collective in Buruburu. Moves between luminous Nairobi nightscapes and a body of work shaped by Lamu.
PMPatrick “Panye” Mukabi
Painter & Educator · In memoriam · Dust Depo Artists Collective
A towering figure in Kenyan art and one of Nairobi's most generous educators. Built the Dust Depo Artists Collective into a major studio community, mentoring thousands of artists — among them Nedia Were.
PAPeter Achayo
Convenor & Curator · WhatsArtNBO Journal
Nairobi-based curator and art writer; founder of WhatsArtNBO Journal and AfricanArtMatters. Convenes Wabuni First Wednesday and its High Table Talk — building connective tissue across the city's creative industries.
The Roll