KALOKI NYAMAI

GLOBAL SOUTH NARRATIVES AT VENICE BIENNALE

In conjunction with the Dallas Art Fair, Emerging Collective made its Dallas debut, hosting a panel on Global South Narratives, featuring Kaloki Nyamai on live stream from the Kenyan Pavilion at Venice Biennale.

The panel featured Dallas-based curator and writer Laurie Ann Farrell, formerly of Dallas Contemporary and Emerging Collective Founder Raj Udeshi.

“We’ve been trying to get an exhibition together for ages in Dallas, a city that I call home. The pandemic destroyed momentum for many art non-profits, and this is our humble reset,” said Udeshi. “With so many people coming to Texas from the coasts, we want to give them what they came for – new culture. Emerging Collective will grow its footprint in the Dallas art scene and along with the city itself, make a noise heard worldwide.”

“Kaloki’s themes fit right into Emerging Collective’s drive to present and preserve a narrative that is not clearly heard in the West,” said Bart Keijsers Koning, whose gallery, Keijsers Koning, represents Nyamai in the United States. “Emerging Collective and Keijsers Koning both left New York and we’re attracted to the growing art market and support here in Dallas.”

PROGRAM

Udeshi led the breakfast discussion, highlighting stand-out work by Global South artists featured at this year's Venice Biennale, which opened the same weekend as the Dallas Art Fair.

Kaloki Nyamai discussed his work and thoughts on being selected to represent Kenya on an international stage. He will be livestreaming from the Biennale.

Laurie Ann Farrel gave context to Nyamai’s work and its ascendancy in contemporary art of the African Diaspora. Several of Nyamai‘s works were on display at the event, on loan from local collectors and Keijsers Koning.

Emerging Collective‘s panel talk was an official event of Dallas Art Fair, and took place in a private downtown loft at 2220 Canton Street, Unit 102, Dallas TX 75201. The program ran from 9:30 to 11:00am central time on Saturday, 23 April 2022.

About Emerging Collective

Emerging Collective is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization supporting artists working at the intersection of activism and the avant-garde. Emerging Collective promotes fine art that advances political + social dialogue, with a particular eye toward the Global South. Our aim is to catapult the most promising activist creatives, empowering them to serve as agents of cultural change.

About Kaloki Nyamai

Nyamai (born 1985, Kitui, Kenya) currently lives and works in Nairobi, Kenya. Drawing heavily on the stories of the Kamba people he was told by his grandmother. Nyamai – a multidisciplinary artist who studied interior design, film and taught art classes before dedicating himself to his craft – explores how history and identity are intertwined. His works are multimedia and characterized by rich layers, offering fragments to be pieced together slowly. Nyamai is represented in the USA by Keijsers Koning.

About Laurie Ann Farrell

Ms. Farrell has held several prominent roles in the art world, including Head of Modern and Contemporary art at Detroit Institute of Art, Executive Director of Exhibitions  at Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, and Curator at the Museum for African Art in New York. Most recently, she served as Senior Curator for Dallas Contemporary, before starting her own firm – Bespoke Art Consultants.