Stones, silver, silk and Sikh turbans sitting together in one setting

What do Kisii stones, sterling silver, ceramic ‘eyes’ and Sikh turbans all have in common?

They were all being showcased last weekend at Village Market where three major exhibitions were running simultaneously.

The Kisii stones were part of Peter Kenyanya Oendo’s ‘Stone Soliloquy’ of miniature and monumental sculptures of mainly birds and fish presented in both naturalistic and semi-abstract styles.

Oendo had also invited painters Anna Rarity, a former art teacher from Braeburn School and the Manjano award-winning artist, Moses Nyawanda, whose works we hadn’t seen in quite some time.

Oendo’s sculptures are always impressive but he outdid himself with his towering fish statue which was at least six feet tall and covered in tiny fish all apparently swimming in one tightly knit school.

Meanwhile, Nyawanda’s new style of constructing human characters is refreshing as is the larger scale of his work. Rarity’s art is decorative and easy to see hanging anywhere in one’s home.

It was on the floor below that we found the super-shiny sterling silver, the ‘eye’ ceramics and even the multi-coloured Sikh turbans.
The solid silver ‘trinkets’ all filled one impressive shop branded with the silversmith’s name, Patrick Mavros.

The VM shop is practically a replica of Mavros’ London ‘flagship store’ since both are filled with elegant luxury items such as Date Palm Tree candelabras, slender Swizzle sticks, Hippo salt and pepper shakers and even Elephant and Monkey mustard pots.

The shop is like a fantasy land, filled with a shiny menagerie of miniature hippos, leaping impalas, languid lions and a warthog family trekking on a wooden base. Apart from London and Nairobi, Mavros also has stores in Mauritius and Harare.

Finally, the exhibition I had originally gone to see was ‘Expressions: Glaze, Colour and Gems’, which featured the glazes of Master Ceramist Waithera Chege, the colours of Monika Rekhi and the gems of Francesca OneADay.

Both Francesca and Monika are ceramics students of Waithera whose new ‘Eye’ Collection of glazed pots sat centre stage in the VM Exhibition Hall.

It was their mentor and ‘mwalimu’ Waithera who’d inspired both Monika and Francesca to organize the four-day Expressions show.

Francesca has been making one-of-a-kind jewelry for several years but the collection of necklaces, earrings and pendants that she displayed at Village Market were the first to include ceramic elements together.

But perhaps the most unique feature of the Expressions show was Monika’s ceramic turbans.