MBUGUA KIMANI

Location: Kenya

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.mbuguakimani.com

Biography

Mbugua Kimani is an award-winning Kenyan artist who has been working full-time on his practice for over a decade. In 2025, he was elected as an Associate Member of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE) in London, in recognition of the high quality and originality of his work. His art is driven by a passion for learning, experimentation, and innovation. Having lived in Kenya, the UK, and Afghanistan, Kimani returned to Nairobi in 2009 and later relocated to Nanyuki in 2022, where he currently lives and works. He holds a BA in International Relations and an MSc in Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict from University of London. His recent work explores broad themes including identity, gender, and the environment.

Artistic Themes

Identity Series

A collection of woodcut prints exploring the absurdity of singular identity. Through vibrant colours and complex patterns, the works create deliberate ambiguity, questioning gender identity and representation. They are deeply African in vibrancy yet global in inquiry.

Sex for Fish Series

A powerful commentary on women in western Kenya who trade their bodies for fish, raising questions about survival, exploitation, and environmental sustainability. Kimani’s work challenges narratives around tribe, nationality, and identity, while engaging with pressing global issues such as politics, environmental degradation, overfishing, and the misuse of natural resources.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2026

• RE Original Print 2026, Bankside Gallery, London, UK (24 April – 31 May)
• London Original Print Fair 2026, Somerset House, London, UK (14–17 May)
• 20th Affordable Art Show, Nairobi National Museum, Nairobi, Kenya (22–24 May)

2025

• RE at RBSA, Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, Birmingham, UK
• 19th Affordable Art Show, Nairobi National Museum, Kenya.
• Small But Mighty, Bankside Gallery, London, UK (selected by art critic Tabish Khan)
• Summer at Bankside, Bankside Gallery, London, UK
• Tim Marlow Selects, Bankside Gallery, London, UK
• Members’ Exhibition, Mandell’s Gallery, Norwich, UK
• RE Original Prints 2025, Bankside Gallery, London, UK
• London Original Print Fair (40th Anniversary), Somerset House, London, UK

2024

• Old and New, Peponi Hotel, Lamu, Kenya (Nov 2024–Jan 2025)
• International Original Print Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London, UK
• 17th Affordable Art Show, Nairobi National Museum, Nairobi, Kenya
• Small But Mighty, Bankside Gallery, London, UK
• Uniting in Diversity, McKinsey & Company, Nairobi, Kenya

2023

• Art-Fusion Group Exhibition, Ardhi Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya
• Kuja Pamoja Pop-Up Exhibition, One Stop, Nanyuki, Kenya
• Mtaani #14: Green Kenya Series, McKinsey & Company, Nairobi, Kenya
• Multiple Identities, The Nook, Nanyuki, Kenya

2022

• Ultra Local, Van Der Plas Gallery, New York, USA

2020

• Art in the Open, Village Market, Nairobi, Kenya
• The Art of Living, Nairobi, Kenya
• Salon International d’Art Contemporain (Art 3F), Van Gogh Art Gallery, Luxembourg

2017

• Kenya Art Fair, Sarit Centre, Nairobi, Kenya
• Affordable Art Exhibition, Nairobi National Museum, Nairobi, Kenya
• Mixed Media Exhibition, McKinsey & Company, Nairobi, Kenya

2015

• Kenya Art Fair, Sarit Centre, Nairobi, Kenya

2014

• Solo Exhibition, Purdy Arms, Nairobi, Kenya

EDUCATION

• MSc, Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict — University of London, UK
• BA, International Relations — Nottingham Trent University, UK

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

• Associate Member (ARE), Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE), London, UK (2025–Present)