Exploring life through colors and light, Kenyan artist Alpha Odh is bringing some of the most breathtaking stories to the surface and is firmly stepping into the international context of visual arts.
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Painter, photographer, and textile artist Alpha Odh (full name – Alphonce Odhiambo) has been creating since 7-8 years old gaining artistic skills and superb art knowledge solely through personal research. Now, his extensive creativity and willingness to actualize art in Kenya make him one of the most prominent contemporary Kenyan artists to follow.
Alpha constructs compositions using various cultural markers and memories, dispersing ideas and philosophical insights that pose an emotional and intellectual challenge to the viewer. Attentive investigation of the current reality of his generation in Kenya blends with a reminiscence of the colonial era. The rich background context does not confine Alpha's artworks to a predefined meaning; the configuration of intertwining elements extends beyond the canvas to the viewer's mind and serves as an invitation to observe the construction of reality.
In 2014, Alpha's exceptional artistry was recognized nationally when he exhibited at the Nairobi National Museum. Since then, he has gained international critical acclaim and has been curated to exhibit in Germany, Spain, Lithuania, and the United States.
Q: You've been born and raised in Nairobi's dynamic and bustling neighborhood of Kibera – Africa's largest urban slum. Was your subject matter and creativity inspired by that place?
Alpha Odh: Kibera is a very interesting place, especially for someone like me. I've been with people who can't afford all meals a day and with people who can spend a thousand dollars for one meal. I think I've learned a lot from that place... The slums, the government, the United Nations, and the rich people, the way the outside world pictures it. It's so different from what people living there really think. They neither know nor care if they are poor. The world shows up to say 'you are poor,' and only then do you start to compare. You're not there seated 24/7 thinking you're poor.
Q: Based on common understanding, slums are usually depicted as overcrowded and therefore unhealthy, unsafe, and socially undesirable. Was urban existence in Kibera threatening?
AO: For me as a Kenyan, being in Kibera is way safer than being in New York or Westlands where I live now. Your chances of just being there and losing your life are near zero.
Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
AO: As an artist, I can get inspired anytime. It's all about absorbing, how you absorb things, and how can you create something out of what you've taken in. Anything can inspire you, especially now. The world is more corrupt than ever, and everyone is so diverse. You must try to understand as many things as you can.
Q: Are there certain messages you'd like to convey through your art?
AO: The artist cannot presume what a person should perceive. It's all about the perceiver. As the saying goes, 'the book is always smarter than the author.' The same thing happens with the paintings. Some pieces communicate more with younger audiences, and some with older people. They have had distinct life experiences. Also, there's a major difference if you've seen art your whole life or if you're new to it. Some people tend to value the quality, process, the story behind the artwork, some, on the other hand, are more into the visual side of it and how it affects them.
Alpha Odh. Dummy Democracy, 2022.
Q: People in your paintings seem to be faceless.
AO: My faces are blunt. They are not there. I try to avoid identity. It does not matter. We pretend as it does, but it doesn't. We pretend and predefine a lot of things, but at the end of the day, we lose ourselves in that. Usually, I scratch the piece.
Q: Is there a meaning behind these scratch marks?
AO: These scratches represent mistakes and protection. This idea comes from the theory connected to the slave trade times and tribe members with scarring on their skin. If you have those marks, you are not eligible to be traded. You're like a rejected product. They say sometimes that the popularity of scarring boomed during the slave trade. Those scars were cultural marks, but with them, people were perceived as mistakes and would not be sold. Mistakes sometimes can protect you. What people define as a mistake, or a flaw can protect you. Being valueless to other people can protect you.
Q: You've mentioned you'd like to introduce a new technique to your work inspired by stained glass church windows. How did this idea arise?
AO: The first time this was commissioned by an artist, the point was to create a painting that connects to God. That's why they're translucent so that the light can travel through the image. If you put this kind of piece on a dark background and direct the light onto the picture, the light bounces back into your eyes. You can only see what's already there. By putting the painting in a position where light can go through it, you create a different perspective, an opportunity for the painting to extend beyond the surface.
Q: The world is witnessing growing visibility and appreciation of contemporary African art. How is art perceived around you?
AO: In Kenya, the media does not forecast information about art. You will never see art in the newspapers. Now there is a growing mid-class population in Kenya, which could afford to visit art shows or even have artworks in their homes, but they don't because 70-80 percent of Kenyans know nothing about art. The art world is an ecosystem boosting one's thinking. Art can enlighten people's minds. Also, it's an industry beneficial for the country's economy. Sadly, it's an industry that has been kept aside."
Q: Why do you think art is influential?
AO: Dealing with reality can be challenging at times, but you cannot get rid of reality. You cannot live in a bubble. Even if reality is not good, the human mind learns how to adapt and fix it in its own way. I've spent a lot of my time looking at art. Just looking. Anywhere. I've learned a lot of things only by observing. It even changed my personality over the years.
Cover Image: Alpha Odh. Inner Politics, 2022.
Written by Tumo Art Gallery
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