Kibera Arts District stakes its claim on prestigious global stage

Over the years, the Kibera Arts District has undergone significant evolution in the arts scene. It is a place pockmarked with tin shanties that have, over time, become canvases for street art.

At its epicentre sits the House of Friends Art Gallery, a whitewashed, flat-roofed stone building no larger than a double room, littered with paintings on its walls. Children from the slums walk in and out at will to stare at the artwork, as do the residents. The gallery owner, Jamey Ponte, or Babu as the residents call him, is a man who lives to make lofty ideas tangible.

Last week, on January 10, Jamey held a press conference with over 60 artists in the Kibera Arts District. The purpose? To announce a global call for artists, enthusiasts, and collectors to participate in the upcoming Nairobi Arts Biennale, spearheaded by the Kibera Arts District, in October 2026.

The biennale, themed "Our Art and Future: Your True Experience," is scheduled to run from October 24 to November 8, 2026, in Nairobi.

The biennale aims to bridge the gap between local identity and global dialogue in art. It will be the first of its kind in the region and will include different presentation categories, such as visual and fine arts, digital and new media, performance, literature, design, and installations.

What's in a bieannale?

A biennale is generally a large-scale, international exhibition of contemporary art or architecture held every two years. The famous Venice Biennale popularised the term. Other famous biennales include Documenta, held in Kassel, Germany, every five years, and the Biennale of Sydney. At their peak, biennials offer a prestigious glimpse into art from different regions of the world, with different nations given national pavilions to showcase their work.

For Jamey, the Nairobi Arts Biennale has been long overdue, mainly because, despite being a central hub for art in Africa, Nairobi has yet to host its own biennale. For over a decade, he has been hearing talk of an upcoming biennale, none of which has ever materialised.

More renowned biennales, such as those in London, the US, China, and Venice, are market conduits for big art collectors, but recently, he has noticed that many of the galleries behind these events are closing.

"Most of the gatekeepers to these events and galleries are getting old and retiring, but more notably, the art business has changed. For a long time, the relationship between artists and dealers has been oppressive, and all players are quite familiar with it. One had to go through a dealer to get noticed and sell art, and it was unfavourable to artists of colour for a long time," he says.

Nowadays, he observes, artists can create their own websites and sell their work, or set up studios where prospective buyers can visit and place orders. It's rare for artists to sign exclusive contracts with galleries because the market is changing. "The whole industry has turned upside down," he says.

Why Nairobi Art Biennale today?

"We thought now would be the best time to host a biennale because we'll have less competition, and more people will be willing to contribute their work without the lofty payment expectations of UN-funded projects," he explains.

For Jamey, the Nairobi Arts Biennale is also necessary because art collectors need a new experience. He says the Nairobi Arts Biennale will showcase the unique style of each participating artist and gallery. It will consider the limitations and strengths of the Kenyan arts scene.

"These events have been going on for over 40 years, but they've lost their energy. Most of the people employed at these events lack the vision of the creatives who started them, so the energy is mundane. The Shanghai Biennale is currently ongoing, but it might as well close its doors. The reviews are negative; people complain that it is dark, stale, and negative.

This made me wonder why we couldn't take advantage of the gap in the industry and fill it with our own brand and style?" He poses.

But he is quick to point out that they are not trying to bring the Venice Biennale experience to Nairobi. That would require a lot of money which they don't have and it would be unreasonable to expect such standards because it has taken most of the traditional biennales over 100 years to perfect their shows.

"Do you think Kenya could just walk in and be world-class overnight? No, it will take time,” he says.

For Jamey, the Nairobi Arts Biennale is a return to his roots. It reflects the work of Patrick Mukabi and the Dust Depot at the Railway Museum. The project took root over 15 years ago when Mukabi became part of the Kibera community.

The transitional change brought about by artwork in that community was a stepping stone to a dream that has only now come to fruition. This time, art is being brought to the doorstep of Nairobians as opposed to the Kibera community alone.

Art collaborations

However, Jamey remains skeptical about collaborations within the art community.

"Collaborations in the art community don't work. They exist on paper, and when there is payment, but true collaboration in the arts is minimal and complicated in Kenya. There's a part of selfishness, but the bigger reason we don't have as many collaborations is that people don't know how. They don't see examples of people doing it. The biggest art fairs in Kenya died because of poor management. These are mistakes we want to avoid with the biennale.”

However, collaborations are Jamey's hallmark at the Kibera Arts District. Its exhibitions are hardly ever solo shows, but rather collaborations with various artists from across the country. For Jamey, the Nairobi Arts Biennale is merely an extension of their work in Kibera over the years on a larger scale.

"We can do it because we have been doing it despite being in a very complicated place. We know the system because we have experienced it; we have experience bringing people together. Sixty artists were present at our global call event, but that's just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the number of artists we want to bring together. There are many more who represent the corporate and gallery side of this."

" Last week, we held our first event, bringing together the first of these artists, all of whom gave us the go-ahead. We already have scheduled meetings with major players in the industry, such as Circle Art Gallery and One Off Art Gallery, to discuss how they would like to engage,” he says.

Other beneficiaries

Jamey believes that galleries will benefit from the Nairobi Arts Biennale, whether or not they participate, as long as their doors are open. Art enthusiasts visiting Nairobi will always want to explore the city's art scene, whether they pay an admission fee or not.

Apart from young and old artists being part of the show, there will also be artworks from significant private collectors based in Kenya who are willing to loan pieces from their collections for viewing.

Jamey insists that there are no registration fees for participants, who will be given a programme explaining how to get involved. However, this will not stop individual galleries from having their own programmes or charging access fees. Traditionally, biennales are expensive affairs.

"Some venues will be exclusive. That's normal in life. I don’t know of many biennales that are free to attend. I have been to very few biennales because I cannot afford them. Our background is in serving all people, and we have 20 years of experience doing so. It shows that we are not afraid.

The international community will also be a part of the Biennale with Jamey stating that several artists will be landing in Kenya next month for residencies.

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