Dickens Otieno (Kenyan, born 1979)
Untitled, 2015
Signed ‘dickens’ (lower right)
Aluminium foil and coffee wire
200 x 170 cm
Ksh 120,000-150,000
(US$ 1,090-1,365)
Sold Ksh 375,680
Provenance: direct from the artist
Dickens Otieno’s sculptural practice is driven by the search to find meaning and worth in things that seem otherwise useless. His painstakingly woven sculptures are made from discarded drinks cans, which are saved for him by the local kiosks near his home and studio. The artist describes his process as feeling much like palm leaves – a material used traditionally for weaving by many generations.
Working from his studio at the GoDown Arts Centre in Nairobi, Otieno has exhibited throughout East Africa. He has been selected for artist residencies in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar and his work is represented in various private collections.