Pulse of Dirt: Three artists explore conservation, coexistence in fresh exhibition

A trio exhibition titled The Pulse of Dirt gets three artists to explore themes of conservation, people's relationship with the environment, and finding ways for humans to live with the natural world instead of eliminating it.

Opening on July 31, the exhibition will run for three months at Knead Artisanal Bakery in Westlands and feature 20 works in oil, acrylic, watercolour and ink.

The exhibition involves Yusuf Mirumbe, John Ngugi, and Ronny Enos, artists who have built a friendship through years of meeting at exhibitions and studio visits. Their interest in landscape painting inspired them to stage a joint exhibition that explores how people and nature coexist.

Yusuf, who is exhibiting four oil paintings, says the exhibition represents his return to the medium that first introduced him to painting.

“Before I painted portraits, I painted landscapes. Portraiture became part of my practice, but I have always loved landscapes,” he says.

His works depict trees and vegetation to highlight their beauty and ecological importance at a time when urban development uproots natural ecosystems. He notes that as much as we want development and infrastructure, we keep pushing into forests and ignoring that they were here before us.

He suggests that instead of cutting down trees, we should find ways to develop while coexisting with nature since these are the things that keep us alive.

Mirumbe is interested in the individuality of trees.

“It’s hard to find a tree that grows perfectly straight. Even trees of the same species never look exactly alike. That imperfection fascinates me,” he says.

He says that his fascination with landscapes started while teaching himself to paint through online tutorials by American painter Bob Ross before receiving mentorship from artists Olivia Pendergast, Lenore Boyd, the late Patrick Mukabi, and American artist John Wiercioch.

Painting landscapes, he adds, allows him to remember where he started, see how his work has evolved and appreciate how his use of paint has changed.

John Ngugi, who is exhibiting seven acrylic paintings on canvas, says the exhibition title represents the Earth's life-giving role.

“The pulse is the heartbeat. It shows something is alive. Dirt is the earth and soil, which form the foundation of our lives. It gives us food, shelter and the materials we need for daily life,” he explains.

His landscapes depict banana plantations, trees and open spaces inspired by places he has personally visited.

He loves taking nature walks and the calming, grounding effect that they have on him.

Through his paintings, he wants viewers to experience that same feeling.

His paintings are untitled for viewers to interpret the landscapes for themselves.

Ronny Enos approaches the exhibition from the perspective of human settlement. Working in watercolour and ink on paper, he presents eight paintings centred on Kibera, where he grew up.

Enos describes dirt as a metaphor for everything that emerges from the ground, such as the forests and the communities that replace them.

He recalls that Kibera was once a forest before it changed as people settled there. The exhibition reflects on what happens when landscapes transform.

Growing up in Kibera influenced his understanding of the land and its evolution.

“When I was young, many houses were made of mud with thatched roofs and plastic sheeting. Today many are built with iron sheets and stone. That change forms part of my perspective on The Pulse of Dirt,” he says.

Two of his works feature a library, which he describes as a place of refuge during his childhood. This is because, he says, the library was a place of escape for him.

The trio says that while they are all landscape artists, they present contrasting but interconnected views of the landscape, inviting audiences to consider the relationship between conservation, development and the environments people call home.

“Yusuf and I focus on natural landscapes while Ronny paints developed settlements by focusing on the people who inhabit the land. The living part of the land is its pulse,” says Ngugi.

Together, the works tell a story about change, conservation and consumerism, encouraging conversations about what we take from the environment and what we give back.

With The Pulse of Dirt, Knead Artisanal Bakery has opened its walls to an art exhibition for the first time. While it has previously commissioned artworks for its walls, now, at the initiative of Mirumbe, it will open its doors to curated exhibitions.

Mirumbe applauds brands and businesses that support visual artists by incorporating art into their spaces. The exhibition will evolve during its three-month run, with new landscape artists invited to participate if some of the works are sold.

“We don’t have many galleries, so the work needs to be seen. More businesses are commissioning artwork and giving artists platforms to showcase their work,” he observes.