In Kaloki Nyamai’s work we are invited to question what it is to truly be in ownership of anything - borders, language, time and even self. This series of large-scale works mirrors the complexity of translation through compositions of multiple figures whose features and expressions feel familiar, and a vibrant yet subdued color palette which from piece to piece, borrow from one another, making a starting point indistinguishable – much like cyclical time. Densely layered, the historical and current moments signaled to reveal our collective and individual experiences prompting us to further ask whether we are truly moving forward or indeed backwards.
Text by Péjú Oshin.
