At dawn, he’s knee-deep in Kisumu’s rubbish; by dusk, he’s lost in swirls of colour and rhythm. For Victor “Ous” Odhiambo, waste picking is not an end but a means – a way to fund the art that pulled him from the grip of drugs and despair, and into a life of purpose.
I first encountered Ous at the Wan E Yo Art exhibition at the Kisumu National Museum earlier this year. His contemporary works, blending abstraction and impressionism, stood out for their balance of greyscale and colour. The charcoal and pastel pieces in particular revealed a discipline and style that mark him as one of Kisumu’s rising talents.
