Taabu Munyoki's, 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.
(*) - Required field