When it comes to artists the world over, no one inspires me as much as Kenyan contemporary artist MICHAEL SOI. I first came across his work when I was interning for another great artist,sculptor GAKUNJU KAIGWA at KUONA ARTS CENTER in 2009. Honestly, my first impression of his work was confusion. His minimalist cartoon style was very different from anything I’d ever seen from Kenya, and the only thing I could compare it to was the contemporary american art style of the 50s, POP ART.
Was it really Kenyan to follow this style? Was he being true to himself and our culture? Where was the wildlife or at least the village people fetching water or jumping in shukas?
But then it hit me how ignorant and plain stupid I was being.
