Lot 20

Dickens Otieno

Kenyan, born 1979

Untitled, 2015

Signed ‘dickens’ (lower right)

Aluminium foil and coffee wire

200 x 170 cm

KES 120,000 – 150,000

USD 1,090 – 1,365

Provenance: direct from the artist

Sold KES 375,680

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.