Kitambaa (Swahili for "fabric") is a series by Jordan Rita Seruya Awori (JRSA) that reflects on her evolving relationship with African visual identity and the aesthetics that have come to represent it. Central to this body of work is a quiet question: What defines an image as authentically African through my eyes?

In this exploration, JRSA turns her attention to the visual language of textile prints—motifs that are culturally rich, emotionally resonant, and deeply embedded in collective memory. Rather than rejecting this language, the artist seeks to expand it. The works incorporate archival photographs of African women layered onto hand-drawn and painted reimaginings of traditional African fabric prints, merging personal history with cultural iconography. Through this layering, JRSA reflects on how fabric—like identity—can be both inherited and invented, patterned and personal.

Kitambaa becomes a meditation on representation: how visual symbols shape perception, and how meaning is built through repetition, memory, and reinterpretation. The series holds space for complexity, tracing what is carried in the folds—stories, connections, and layered truths that emerge between image and pattern.

The ‘In the Name of Africanness’ collection delves into the artist's ongoing reflection on her African identity, shaped by her roots in Kenya and her current experience in Germany. Through these works, the artist interrogates the complexities of what it means to be "African enough," exploring the nuances of cultural belonging and the multifaceted nature of Africanness. With each piece, she questions: What defines her connection to Kenya? What elements shape her understanding of being African? The collection invites viewers to contemplate the intricate layers of identity and the fluid boundaries that frame what it means to truly belong.