Kenyan artists Gabriela Gakuo, Gakunju Kaigwa and Geraldine Robarts are putting on an arts festival from October 13-15.
The beautiful surroundings of Robarts’ home and studio will be the setting for the trio of internationally known artists. Afrofusion vocalist and songwriter Judith Bwire will provide the background music. “It will be a celebration of creativity, passion and the beauty of every moment,” Robarts said.
Robarts is a living example that being an artist is a way of life. She is a prolific producer at 85 years old, working every day for several hours and usually painting while standing.
Her work remains exciting year after year because it is ever-evolving and taking new directions, expertly finished, and her use of various media is sublimely masterful. Nevertheless, some favourite themes generally pop up, including cultural figures, seascapes, tropical forests and abstract illustrations.
"My work is about unity, about revealing the ways in which we are all connected to each other and to nature,” Robarts said. “I seek to build bridges between all for a more comprehensive approach to this unprecedented challenge in the history of humanity."
Born in London, Robarts arrived in Kampala in 1964 and taught fine arts at Makerere University until moving to Kenya in 1972. She taught fine arts at Kenyatta University in the 1970s, where both Gakuo and Kaigwa were her students. Over a long and productive journey of more than 70 years, Geraldine is still a master colourist. Her paintings grow on you as you explore the hidden depths to see further and often to learn from.
Robarts’ way of working reveals a freedom of expression unburdened by the pressure to make sales, find your voice or be swayed by criticism or praise. In 2021 and 2022, her paintings were an expression of a fiery and grim future, perhaps echoing United Nations chief Antonio Guterres, who said last year, “The world is on fire.” This year, her collection is noticeably changed, more hopeful that, in her words, “we can improve the future by our own positive actions to make the world a better place for everyone”.
More recently, her mixed media paintings incorporate mabati pieces taken from the old studio roof. “The excitement of building a new studio by taking off the roof to make it much higher, and finding new shapes cut out of the old mabati roof, has been so fantastic.”
Robarts is delighted to partner with her old students, with whom she has remained good friends. “All of these artworks will appreciate in value and they are a great investment at the present time.”
GAKUNJU KAIGWA
Gakunju Kaigwa is a sculptor of more than 40 years, although he originally started as a painter. He works in a range of materials to express his different ideas, including wood, stone, welded steel, fibreglass and bronze.
Kaigwa’s education includes a Master’s degree from the University of Dundee, Scotland. His unique pieces straddle the divide between pure aesthetics and functionality. From gathered deadwood, he crafts stools, mirrors, coffee tables, chairs, benches and more. His sculpting follows the natural form of the wood, resulting in pieces that retain an organic beauty, the wood grain and trunk markings, adding to their aesthetic appeal.
They are elegant, with smoothened surfaces or unvarnished exteriors, and minimal embellishments, such as carved spirals or the occasional streak of paint. His collection of low stools, crafted in contemporary style, recall the essence of the traditional African seat.
Kaigwa’s figurative sculptures in stylised and semi-abstract form are sometimes referred to as social commentary or observation of the human condition.
GABRIELA GAKUO
Painter Gabriela Gakuo detests the limelight. Though you would hardly find any information on her, she has a long list of ardent, long-standing admirers of her work.
Gakuo has loved drawing since childhood, and the doodles on the sides of her school exercise books eventually evolved into a real love of art. She studied fine arts at Kenyatta University but only became an artist permanently after retiring from a full-time job. Gakuo rarely exhibits, so the Arts Festival is a marvellous opportunity to see her vibrant creations.
Nature, animals, flowers and tropical plants are favourite motifs for Gakuo’s paintings. She mostly works in acrylic paints and, like her former lecturer, is inclined towards bright colours. “Colour has always motivated me and provided a way for me to express who I am,” Gabriela said.
Another medium for her creativity is hand-painted wood furniture, especially children’s pieces, which she decorates in bright colours and energising images. Under her expert hand, tables, trays, clay pots, planters and cabinets are transformed into striking yet functional works of art.
Gakuo custom-paints furniture to order but also creates her own original pieces, and her lacquer-finished items make beautiful gifts. Art is not only a practical skill but a spiritual expression for her, and, she says, “at its core, an outward expression of my thoughts in life”.