Lot 7

Dickens Otieno (Kenyan, born 1979)
Nyagem Tailor, circa 2011 – 2014
Signed ‘dickens’ on a metal plate (lower right)
Shredded aluminium cans, canvas, acrylic and synthetic leather woven on steel mesh
116cm x 100cm x 20cm
KES 350,000 – 500,000
(US$) 2,750 – 4,000
Provenance: From the artist’s collection

Dickens Otieno’s tapestries use and draw attention to the potential beauty in objects that would otherwise be dismissed as useless, and discarded. Aluminium cans are shredded and woven into sculptural fabrics in a process informed by the weaving of natural materials such as papyrus, raffia or palm that he observed growing up. Otieno’s mother was a tailor and he spent many hours in her workshop amongst lesos and kitenges, whose colours and patterns have since influenced his aesthetic. This engagement with textile grows from an interest in the way pattern, colour and iconography are used to imbue functional objects with meaning and identity. Otieno draws on his immediate physical surroundings, particularly the urban environment in his native Nairobi, to create his compositions. Objects piled high in markets, the constantly shifting skyline, and the pockets of nature within the concrete and steel haze of the city, have become sources of inspiration for his richly hued, increasingly sculptural forms.

Otieno held solo exhibitions in Kenya and the USA. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions locally and internationally. Otieno has exhibited at international art fairs including Art Dubai and Eye of the Collector, London. His work features in various collections including, ARAK collection, BASMOCA collection, Fahard Bakhitar collection and Fondation Gandur pour l’Art Geneva. In 2025 he exhibited at Africa Basel and was shortlisted for the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize.