28 July to 22 August
ANDREW TSHABANGU - Kibera Nimoja

Gallery MOMO is proud to present Kibera Nimoja by ANDREW TSHABANGU, opening Thursday 28 July 2011 @ 18h30 – 20h00 and concluding 22 August 2011.

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“This body of work is an exploration of interior and exterior spaces. It is a continuation of my curiosity and fascination with photographing interiors of living spaces without the physical presence of the inhabitants. I believe that these spaces for instance, one room homes in informal settlements or locations, speak volumes about the people that inhabit them. The arrangement of personal possessions in a room is reflective of the personality of its resident. Each room has a historical context, chronicling the lives of the people that interact daily in those spaces. I chose Kibera, an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, as my subject for this series of photographs because I was struck by the way its exterior spaces, though quite small; support a dense population of people. My curiosity led me to explore how the people of Kibera navigate between these rather seemingly limiting spaces.

In 2008, I was invited by the Nairobi Art Trust/Center for Contemporary Art of East Africa to conduct a one-week photography workshop that culminated in an exhibition at the National Museum of Kenya, Nairobi. While preparing for the exhibition I felt that the duration of the workshop was quite short and requested that the sponsors consider doing another session. They agreed and I came back for the next round of workshops in 2009. My initial visit in 2008 coincided with the end of the bloodiest politically motivated unrest Kenya had seen in a long time. At the time Kibera was not easily accessible since it had been the main location of all the violent protest. During my visit in 2009, I was invited to a play, a musical production titled ‘More Fire’ that dealt with issues around the political and social landscape of Kibera post 2008. After viewing this play, I was drawn even more to exploring the socio-political disposition of Kibera and its inhabitants.

This exploration is a continuation of my travels around African cities and villages, which have taken me to Botswana, Cameroon, DRC, Madagascar, Mali, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal and Reunion Islands. My aim is not to conduct comparative case studies of African cities or specifically informal settlements or hostels; my interest is solely based on my curiosity about the African continent. This study of Kibera stems from my desire to continue exploring the rich socio-cultural diversity of the African continent.”

Please feel free to contact Gallery MOMO on +27 11 327 3247, or e-mail karen@gallerymomo.com.

#52 7th Avenue, Parktown North, 2193 Johannesburg, South Africa

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