From a young age, photography has been a passion for Thandiwe Muriu, but it took her a while to find her own voice in the space. Thanks to a new show in Paris, it’s clear that she has found her footing as an artist, and she’s using it to explore what it means to be African. She dabbled in commercial photography, and eventually, on the advice of a fellow photographer started to explore her own style. This birthed her current show, CAMO, a project that began in 2015, now showing at 193 Gallery in Paris. The concept began as a way to appreciate African fabric, but Muriu quickly realized there was so much more to say. Although exploring serious and thought-provoking themes, Muriu wanted to approach these in a more accessible and playful way. This she did by using graphic fabrics as backdrops and everyday objects as props – items that every Kenyan has in their homes. Objects like bottle tops, plastic combs, sieves, straws and even bottle cleaning brushes feature.
SOURCE: DESIGN INDABA
