Mutisya Kasamba has presented Change of Time, an exhibition of 36 abstract-figurative works exploring how personal, social, and cultural histories are transformed and reimagined across different generations. The collection also highlights how technological transformations influence contemporary life.
Curated by Lydia Galavu, the exhibition runs from June 5 to 30 at the Creativity Gallery within the Nairobi National Museum.
Kasamba uses cultural compositions to capture modern themes. The paintings feature textile-like patterns resembling African fabrics and beadwork, stylized elongated human figures, and earthy warm tones. They examine themes of political participation, generational differences, labour, migration, environmental change, and technological advancement.
He also uses repeated subjects of people, fish, trees, wild animals, and circular forms to represent the cyclical nature of life and the constant passage of time.
One of the pieces is titled Gen Z, which celebrates the strength and unity of young people and their ability to influence social change.
"It talks about how young people are strong and vocal. They have the power to push things to happen because they speak with one voice. They are united by time and day-to-day life," Kasamba says.
Another piece, Parental Load, explores the pressures that parents face as they navigate changing social values while guiding younger generations growing up in a different era.
In Labourers' Tears, an abstract donkey is surrounded by wild animals. The piece represents workers whose efforts sustain society while the benefits of their labour go elsewhere.
Technology and its impact on everyday life are viewed in AI, a piece in which Kasamba depicts the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and the speed at which it is transforming society. In Rich Beggar, he explores ageing in a technology-driven world, showing how technological change can create new forms of dependency and exclusion.
Works such as Shift and Bright Heart explore themes of adaptation, renewal, contentment, and the challenges and possibilities that come with change. The title work, Change of Time, addresses changing social customs, migration, conflict, and relationships with the environment.
Kasamba draws inspiration from observation, research, everyday life, cultural memory, and the rhythms of change that affect contemporary society to encourage personal reflection.
"While I acknowledge the inevitability of change, I also highlight the importance of preserving cultural traditions as records of identity and history," he says.