Jump to content

Cyrus Kabiru: Difference between revisions

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Ported rough draft to mainspace
Tags: Reverted Visual edit
Restored revision 1209826594 by Willrembert360 (talk): Not improved - copy/paste of exhibitions, removed the infobox, added commerical gallery links
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Infobox person
⚫
'''Cyrus Kabiru''' (b. 1984) is a self-taught Kenyan visual artist, sculptor, and photographer born in [[Nairobi]], where he currently lives. He is known for his physical artwork often constructed from used or discarded materials, and is associated with the [[Afrofuturism]] cultural movement.<ref name=":32">{{Cite web |last=Musanga |first=Mukanzi |date=2022-03-05 |title=Cyrus Kabiru |url=https://africanah.org/cyrus-kabiru/ |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=AFRICANAH.ORG |language=en-US}}</ref>
| name = Cyrus Kabiru
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1984}}
| birth_place = [[Nairobi]], [[Kenya]]
| occupation = Visual artist
| known_for = Sculptural eyewear and other wearables made of found objects
| movement = [[Afrofuturism]]
}}
'''Cyrus Kabiru''' (born {{date|1984|MDY}}) is a Kenyan visual artist. He is known for his sculptural eyewear made of [[found object]]s,<ref name=":3" /> and is part of the [[Afrofuturism]] cultural movement.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Marshall |first=Julia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hFhlEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA61 |title=Teaching Contemporary Art with Young People: Themes in Art for K-12 Classrooms |last2=Stewart |first2=Connie |last3=Thulson |first3=Anne |date=2021 |publisher=Teachers College Press |isbn=978-0-8077-6574-6 |pages=61 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Alteveer |first=Ian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SiNeEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA11 |title=Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room |last2=Beachler |first2=Hannah |last3=Lawrence |first3=Sarah |last4=Commander |first4=Michelle D. |date=2022-02-04 |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |isbn=978-1-58839-745-4 |pages=11 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Akintobi |first=Lamide |date=2021-07-28 |title=From the 'C-Stunner' to the 'Black Mamba,' Kenya's Cyrus Kabiru rides wave of success with new creations made from scrap |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/cyrus-kabiru-kenya-art-spc-intl/index.html |access-date=2023-06-16 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> He is a self taught artist.<ref name=":1" />


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
[[File:Niños marroquíes en visita guiada por el MACAAL 01.jpg|thumb|Kids from Casablanca, Morocco, visiting the art show "Material Insanity" (2019) at Marrakech's [[Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden]] (MACAAL). Work by Cyrus Kabiru.]]Cyrus Kabiru was born in 1984 in Eastlands Nairobi. He was one of six children who lived in a small home opposite a garbage dump.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=CyrUs kaBIrU |url=https://nataal.com/cyrus-kabiru |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=nataal.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Inspired by a story about his father repairing glasses with discarded materials, he became interested in creating objects by upcycling found objects and trash.<ref name=":12" /> Kabiru's self-taught exposure to artistic thinking began at an early age, despite his father's wishes to pursue a separate career in electronic engineering. Even so, Kabiru attributes much of his incentive for his ongoing works to his father and their shared experiences.<ref name=":12" />
[[File:Niños marroquíes en visita guiada por el MACAAL 01.jpg|thumb|Kids from Casablanca, Morocco, visiting the art show "Material Insanity" (2019) at Marrakech's [[Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden]] (MACAAL). Work by Cyrus Kabiru.]]
⚫
Cyrus Kabiru is a visual artist born in {{date|1984|MDY}} in Nairobi, Kenya.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Artnobel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6INGEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA52 |title=Revista 8: María Ignacia Edwards: Replicando el orden del universo |publisher=Artnobel.es |pages=52 |language=es}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Musanga |first=Mukanzi |date=2022-03-05 |title=Cyrus Kabiru |url=https://africanah.org/cyrus-kabiru/ |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=AFRICANAH.ORG |language=en-US}}</ref>


He is known for his sculptural eyewear made of found objects.<ref name=":1" /> By using found objects, Kabiru gives a new life to the old materials, and the work deals with topics like transformation and imagination of the future.<ref name=":1" /> After creating his sculptures, he photographs them as self-portraits.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rinehart |first=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PBNgEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT45 |title=Screen Time: Photography and Video Art in the Internet Age |date=2022-01-21 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |isbn=978-1-68448-415-7 |pages=45 |language=en}}</ref> Kabiru's art practice intersects sculpture, craftsmanship, photography, design and fashion.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Cyrus Kabiru |url=https://zeitzmocaa.museum/artists/cyrus-kabiru/ |access-date=2023-06-16 |website=Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa ([[Zeitz MOCAA]]) |language=en-ZA}}</ref>
== Career ==
Though Cyrus Kabiru's definitive career began at the [https://www.transartists.org/en/air/kuona-trust Kuona Trust Arts Centre] in Nairobi, Kenya in 2007,<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last=Bradford |first=Phoebe |date=2022 |title=Cyrus Kabiru |url=https://ocula.com/artists/cyrus-kabiru/ |website=Ocula Artist}}</ref> his penchant for creativity originated in his early childhood—earning him the nickname "Msanni", meaning 'Creative' in Swahili. He preferred to focus on his artwork rather than his academics, having sold his work for the first time in high school and continuing thereafter with a range of experience with various physical mediums.<ref name=":32" /> One of his first projects included a collection of eccentric eyeglasses that he made for himself and his friends—made primarily of silverware and bottle caps—which later developed into his '''C-Stunners''' '''series.'''<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":02" />


Notable solo exhibitions by Kabiru include ''Upcoming'' (2010) Kuona Trust, Nairobi, Kenya; ''Cyrus Kabiru'' (2011) Kunstpodium T Gallery, Tilburg, Netherlands; and ''C-Stunners & Black Mamba'' (2015) SMAC Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa.<ref name=":2" /> His works are featured in museum collections, including [[Studio Museum in Harlem|Studio Museum Harlem]] and the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]].<ref name=":0" />
In the same year that Kabiru first attended the Kuona Trust Arts Centre, he won the Young Innovator Award by the Sandbox Network. Kabiru subsequently attended his first solo exhibition two years later at the [https://www.wantedinafrica.com/yellowpage/rahimtulla-museum-of-modern-art-ramoma.html Rahimtulla Museum of Modern Art] and gradually entered the public sphere with the release of his C-Stunners series between 2011-2012, which remains ongoing.<ref name=":32" /><ref name=":02" /> Besides his production of serial artworks, Kabiru has attended various exhibitions and workshops.

=== Afrofuturism ===
Cyrus Kabiru's particular usage of discarded materials—often electronic parts, junk or other debris— is meant to evoke a sense of cyberpunk futurism with some visual similarities to African jewelry and mythology. Identifying as an Afrofuturist, he aims to construct his works in a way that combines science-fiction and traditional aesthetics, maintaining a consistent personal style.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bigoni |first=Clara |date=2019-09-14 |title=Afrofuturism: Liberation and inclusion beyond literature with N. K. Jemisin |url=https://www.roots-routes.org/afrofuturism-liberation-and-inclusion-beyond-literature-with-n-k-jemisin-by-clara-bigoni/ |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=roots§routes |language=}}</ref> His work is praised for using its unique style to change viewer perspectives, advancing discourse amidst discussions of African intellectual fields, and exploring the relationship between the past and future.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Klein |first=Amelie |date=2015 |title=What Design Can and Should Be Doing in the 21st Century: Ten Proposals. |url=https://www.design-museum.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Bilder/Ausstellungen/A63_Making_Africa/Essay_Amelie_Klein.pdf |journal=Making Africa: A Continent of Contemporary Design |pages=26-33}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Constandius |first=Elmarie |last2=de Villiers |first2=Gera |last3=Van Rooi |first3=Leslie |date=2023 |title=Visual Redress in Africa from Indigenous and New Materialist Perspectives |journal=Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group |volume= |isbn=9781032368535}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Pirker |first=Eva Ulrike |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UGGmEAAAQBAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&q=kenyan+photographer+cyrus+kabiru&hl=en |title=Afrofuturism’s Transcultural Trajectories: Resistant Imaginaries Between Margins and Mainstreams |last2=Rahn |first2=Judith |date=2023-02-28 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2023 |isbn=9781003358374 |location=605 Third Avenue, New York, NY |language=en}}</ref> Kabiru's work has been featured in several Afrofuturist publications, including the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]'s ''Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room.''<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Alteveer |first=Ian |url=https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=SiNeEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA3&dq=before+yesterday+we+could+fly&ots=D57Or2X5iC&sig=KnEa0nD9oCZBOStqhFZXgcQutS4 |title=Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room |last2=Beachler |first2=Hannah |last3=Lawrence |first3=Sarah |last4=Commander |first4=Michelle D. |date=2022-02-04 |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |isbn=978-1-58839-745-4 |language=en}}</ref>

Notably, Kabiru wishes to avoid the notion that his career and/or artwork is rooted in poverty; a misconception spread by media outlets due to the junklike nature of his materials. Part of his intention for his artwork is to reject the idea that these objects should be considered 'trash.'<ref name=":32" />

== Notable Public Works ==

=== C-Stunners Series ===
The C-Stunners series—currently among his most well-known sets—is an ongoing collection of irregular, futuristic eyeglass sculptures with various designs. Kabiru began official production of this series in 2011, but has been making similar sculptures of this manner since his childhood. Similarly to a considerable portion of his physical artwork, his C-Stunners are constructed with recycled materials, such as discarded electrical parts and other refuse.<ref name=":32" /><ref name=":02" /> According to Kabiru, the name 'C-Stunners' is meant to signify the artist's name (Cyrus) followed by a statement of how it affects the audience; a "stunned" reaction. The C-Stunners series has received appraisal for inviting new perspectives from viewers upon how they perceive African culture.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Oboe |first=Annalisa |date=2019 |title=Sculptural Eyewear and Cyberfemmes: Afrofuturist Arts |url=https://www.research.unipd.it/bitstream/11577/3303344/1/4.Oboe.pdf |journal=From the European South: A Transdisciplinary Journal of Postcolonial Humanities |volume=4 |pages=31-44 |issn=2531-4130 |via=JSTOR}}</ref>

Self-portrait photography of Kabiru wearing these pieces are often displayed as their own works, such as the ''Macho Nne'' collection''.''<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Langué |first=Yvon |date=2019-09-02 |title=Material Insanity |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17496772.2019.1678887 |journal=The Journal of Modern Craft |language=en |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=275–280 |doi=10.1080/17496772.2019.1678887 |issn=1749-6772}}</ref>

=== Black Mamba Series ===
The ''Black Mamba'' series is an assortment of assembled sculptures made to resemble the Indian-based bicycle brand of the same name. Kabiru created this series as an homage to the brand, which saw considerable usage as a method of transport in Kenya, though these bikes have gradually seen less activity due to urbanization in African neighborhoods. Kabiru also maintains a personal connection with the bicycles, having ridden one himself as a child.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kuo |first=Lily |date=2016-07-19 |title=An artist remembers Africa’s disappearing “Black Mamba” bicycles with his own whimsical designs |url=https://qz.com/africa/731916/an-artist-remembers-africas-disappearing-black-mamba-bicycles-with-his-own-whimsical-designs |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=Quartz |language=en}}</ref> This series of artworks has seen considerable public exposure, being linked to the inception of ''The End of Black Mamba,'' a documentary series also produced by Kabiru.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=2016-06-03 |title=Presentation of "The End of Black Mamba I" by Cyrus Kabiru {{!}} Activities |url=https://www.cccb.org/en/activities/file/presentation-of-the-end-of-black-mamba-i-by-cyrus-kabiru/223870 |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=CCCB: Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona |language=en}}</ref>

=== ''Miyale Ya Blue,'' 2020 ===
''Miyale Ya Blue'' (2020) is a 60 x 65 x 15cm. assembled sculpture made with electronic waste and junklike materials, decorated with vibrant coloration and noticeable adornments,<ref name=":4" /> and is one of a series of sculptures that resemble custom-fashioned radios. Kabiru drew inspiration for this series from his own personal experiences with transistor radios; this specific piece gets its name from the Swahili word 'miyale' (meaning 'rays') to invoke the rays of the sun.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-19 |title=Meet the Artists: Cyrus Kabiru {{!}} Perspectives |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/videos/2022/4/afpr-cyrus-kabiru-interview |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=The Metropolitan Museum of Art |language=en}}</ref> ''Miyale Ya Blue'' is currently on display at the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in New York City and is featured amongst a collection of Afrofuturist artworks.<ref name=":4" />

== Exhibitions ==

=== Solo Exhibitions ===

* Taarifa Kamili, Nairobi, Kenya, 2020.
* ART X Lagos (SMAC Gallery), The Civic Centre, Lagos, Nigeria, 2018.
* Macho Mbadala, SMAC Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2017.
* Njia Ya Maisha, The Amory Show: African Perspectives, (SMAC Gallery), New York City, USA, 2016.
* Black Mamba, [[Joburg Art Fair|FNB Joburg Art Fair]] (SMAC Gallery), Johannesburg, South Africa, 2015.
* The End Of The Black Mamba, LOOP Fair, (SMAC Gallery), Barcelona, Spain, 2015.
* C-Stunners & Black Mamba at SMAC Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa, 2015.
* Cyrus Kabiru: C-Stunners, Frank Picture Gallery in association with the Ed Cross Fine Arts Gallery, Los Angeles, USA, 2013.
* The C-Stunner, Kuona Trust, Nairobi, Kenya, 2010.
* Cyrus Kabiru, Rahimtulla Museum of Modern Arts (RaMoMA), Nairobi, Kenya, 2009.

=== Group Exhibitions ===

* Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room, The Met Museum, New York City, New York, USA, 2022.
* ''The Pandemic Is a Portal'', curated by Daniel S. Palmer, The Armory, OVR, 2021.
* Matereality, Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa, 2020.
* Material Insanity, Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL), Marrakech, Morocco, 2019.
* Wish You Were Here, SMAC Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa, 2018.
* AFRICAN VOICES: Confronting Frontiers of Reality, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe, 2017.
* Making Africa: A Continent of Contemporary Design curated by Amelie Klein & Okwui Enwezor, [Travelling Exhibition], Kunsthal, Rotterdam, Netherlands; Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, 2016.
* Unorthodox, curated by Jens Hoffmann, The Jewish Museum, New York City, USA, 2015.
* MORE MATERIAL, presented by fashion designer Duro Olowu, Salon 94 Bowery Gallery, New York, USA, 2014.
* The Shadows Took Shape, The Studio Museum, Harlem, USA, 2013.
* Phantasms of the Non-City / Lagos Photo Festival, FNB Joburg Art Fair, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2013.
* Visiones Africaines, Perimeter Art & Design, Paris, France, 2012.
* C-Stunners, Maker Faire Africa 2010, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya, 2010.
* Mwangali Tofauti: Nine Photographic Perspectives from Kenya, Portraits of Cyrus Kabiru by Barbara Minishi, Nairobi Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya, 2010.

== Collections ==

* [[Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa]] (MOCAA), Cape Town, South Africa.
* Tiroche Deleon Collection, Tel Aviv, Israel.
* [[Studio Museum in Harlem]], New York City, USA.
* Lemaître Collection, Paris, France.
* Han Nefkens H+F Collection, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
* Helena Fernandino & Emilio Pi Collection, Madrid, Spain.
* [https://www.transartists.org/en/air/kuona-trust Kuano Trust] – (patronage of Robert Deveroux), Nairobi, Kenya.
* Scheryn Art Fund, Cape Town, South Africa.
* Saatchi & Abel Collection, Cape Town, South Africa.
* The Royal Portfolio Collection, Cape Town, South Africa.
* Ekhard Foundation, Wassenaar, Netherlands.
* The Met Museum, New York, USA.
* Galila’s P.O.C, Brussels, Belgium.
* UNISA Art Collection, Pretoria, South Africa

== Publications ==

* ''The End of Black Mamba'', Han Nefkens H+F Collection, 2015.<ref name=":5" />

== Awards & Residencies ==

* Africa First Residency by Serge Tiroche in collaboration with START Incubator Project, Israel, 2019.
* Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) Artist in Residence Programme, Segera Retreat, Laikipia, Kenya, 2018.
* Quartz Africa Innovators Recognition, Quartz Africa’s Innovators Summit, Nairobi, Kenya, 2016.
* TED Fellowship Residency, TED Talks Conference: The Young. The Wise. The Undiscovered, Los Angeles, USA, 2013.
* Maker Faire Africa Award: Best Artist Innovation – Thinking Outside the Box, New York City, USA, 2010.
* Young Innovator Award, Sandbox Network, London, UK, 2007.


== See also ==
== See also ==
* [[List of Kenyan artists|List of Kenyan artists.]]
* [[List of Kenyan artists]]


== References ==
== References ==
Line 97: Line 25:
== External links==
== External links==
*[https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/videos/2022/4/afpr-cyrus-kabiru-interview AFPR—Meet The Artists: Cyrus Kabiru] (2022)
*[https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/videos/2022/4/afpr-cyrus-kabiru-interview AFPR—Meet The Artists: Cyrus Kabiru] (2022)
*[https://bravermangallery.com/artists/cyrus-kabiru/ Cyrus Kabiru — Braverman Gallery (CV Included)]
*[https://www.smacgallery.com/artist/cyrus-kabiru Cyrus Kabiru — SMAC Gallery (CV Included)]


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}

Revision as of 20:46, 5 May 2024

Cyrus Kabiru
Born1984 (age 39–40)
Nairobi, Kenya
OccupationVisual artist
Known forSculptural eyewear and other wearables made of found objects
MovementAfrofuturism

Cyrus Kabiru (born 1984) is a Kenyan visual artist. He is known for his sculptural eyewear made of found objects,[1] and is part of the Afrofuturism cultural movement.[2][3][4] He is a self taught artist.[2]

Biography

Kids from Casablanca, Morocco, visiting the art show "Material Insanity" (2019) at Marrakech's Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL). Work by Cyrus Kabiru.

Cyrus Kabiru is a visual artist born in 1984 in Nairobi, Kenya.[5][1]

He is known for his sculptural eyewear made of found objects.[2] By using found objects, Kabiru gives a new life to the old materials, and the work deals with topics like transformation and imagination of the future.[2] After creating his sculptures, he photographs them as self-portraits.[6] Kabiru's art practice intersects sculpture, craftsmanship, photography, design and fashion.[7]

Notable solo exhibitions by Kabiru include Upcoming (2010) Kuona Trust, Nairobi, Kenya; Cyrus Kabiru (2011) Kunstpodium T Gallery, Tilburg, Netherlands; and C-Stunners & Black Mamba (2015) SMAC Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa.[7] His works are featured in museum collections, including Studio Museum Harlem and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Musanga, Mukanzi (2022-03-05). "Cyrus Kabiru". AFRICANAH.ORG. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  2. ^ a b c d Marshall, Julia; Stewart, Connie; Thulson, Anne (2021). Teaching Contemporary Art with Young People: Themes in Art for K-12 Classrooms. Teachers College Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-8077-6574-6.
  3. ^ a b Alteveer, Ian; Beachler, Hannah; Lawrence, Sarah; Commander, Michelle D. (2022-02-04). Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-58839-745-4.
  4. ^ Akintobi, Lamide (2021-07-28). "From the 'C-Stunner' to the 'Black Mamba,' Kenya's Cyrus Kabiru rides wave of success with new creations made from scrap". CNN. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
  5. ^ Artnobel. Revista 8: María Ignacia Edwards: Replicando el orden del universo (in Spanish). Artnobel.es. p. 52.
  6. ^ Rinehart, Richard (2022-01-21). Screen Time: Photography and Video Art in the Internet Age. Rutgers University Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-68448-415-7.
  7. ^ a b "Cyrus Kabiru". Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA). Retrieved 2023-06-16.


Stub icon

This article about an African artist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Stub icon

This Kenyan biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cyrus_Kabiru&oldid=1222412026"