Taabu Munyoki

Her art has no message, which allows viewers to interpret their own meaning.

For Taabu Munyoki, art evokes a personal emotion. That is especially what she desires to receive from her viewers as well. Combining elements from her background in graphic design and painting, Munyoki creates artworks that are figurative while borrowing from various movements.

Drawing inspiration from her environment, and daily life – the seemingly mundane activities that showcase how people relate to each other and to their surroundings is what Munyoki captures in her works. To her, being an artist means having the ability to process, translate and rearrange ideas and thoughts visually in a simplified manner to convey meaning.

While Munyoki primarily uses acrylics on canvas, it is not beyond her to dabble in other mediums, including ink or pastels on paper. Ink on paper is among her favorite mediums because of its unpredictable nature and the way that it flows on the surface to reveal visually intriguing and intricate patterns.

Likewise, Munyoki explores paint, sculptural forms, and digital art to create works that are social commentaries on the news of the day, as well as the dynamics of human relationships.

A native of Nairobi, Munyoki earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Kenyatta University. She specialized in graphic design with sculpture and painting as minors.

Love is Love is Love III (LiLiL III)
- Taabu Munyoki

Consisting of two artistic works, Love is Love is Love III is the third installment of an anthology
that asks the question, “what is it like being a queer person in Nairobi?” In an attempt to answer
the question, I conceived a body of work love is love, which depicts the reality of most queer
people in Kenya. The usual confinements and restrictions are a result of the danger that comes
with being queer in the country. The two couples illustrate, within them, their own shared
intimate moments that would otherwise not be expressed openly and. Publicly without scrutiny
and judgment.

Drawing upon inspiration from lived experiences and general observations, the artworks is the
first in a series that takes a slightly different approach in terms of technique, as the first two
acrylic paints on canvas while the rest are digital prints on canvas. My desire is to explore new
ways of presenting my queerness in hopes of evoking a feeling from viewers that leads to
meaningful conversations and a change in perceptions.

Women don’t owe you shit is a reminder to every person who identifies as a woman that we
have full autonomy over our bodies and lives contrary to societal beliefs. Simply, women do not
owe anyone anything.