Sebastian Kiarie (Kenyan, born 1971)
Serenity, 1996
Signed ‘signature 96’ (lower middle)
Oil on paper
75 x 90cm
Ksh 280,000-350,000
US$ 3,200-4,000
Bought in
Provenance: Desai collection
Sebastian Kiarie’s career began in the early 1990s as part of the Ngecha Village art community. He says, ‘as opposed to painting objects accurately and informatively, I paint with an intent to capture the essence and feeling of a given moment. I have an interest in personal mythologies, and symbolism is evident in my work, both in stylized figures and using colours subjectively.’
Kiarie has exhibited in Germany, the US. UK, Japan, Zambia, South Africa, South Korea and U.A.E.
This painting is an early work – one of a pair depicting characters in a bar and is typical of Kiare’s narrative style, allowing the viewer their own interpretation of the subject’s story.