Cyrus Kabiru

Assembled from parts of old bicycles and junk material, Cyrus Kabiru’s new series of composite, fantastical sculptures pay homage to the Black Mamba bicycle. Kabiru explains that these bicycles used to be ubiquitous objects, found in nearly every Kenyan household, but are now disappearing – increasingly replaced by motorbikes. In his reimagined Black Mambas, and in a documentary made by Kabiru, The End of Black Mamba, a story is constructed that ties together a consideration of bodies and work, memory and futurity.

Kabiru is a founder of Art Orodha Kenya, a contemporary visual art centre located in Thika that provides support to emerging artists and which opened in 2020. By providing studio spaces to rent, classes and exhibitions, the centre seeks to create a conducive art practise environment and a platform to nurture young artists, as well as aiming to develop local audiences through a programme of public art education initiatives.