Where did you grow up?

My family moved to the UK before my teens so essentially I was born in Nairobi and raised in London.  

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What is your earliest memory?

I think I was 2 years old and I remember my mum trying to feed me porridge, which I totally disliked and kept refusing to eat. Funny thing is, I totally love porridge now!

 

What is your artistic background?

I have always been interested in being creative from a very young age. Also I did my Art foundation course at Camberwell College of Arts and my BA in Fine art at the Slade School of Art. I once toyed with the idea of doing a Masters degree, but now I am certain and happy to continue my education in the university of life.  

 

What socio-political, racial or cultural narratives do you explore in your art?

It varies and depends on the context that I’m in at the time and how passionate I feel about it. In the past, I have made work about multiculturalism in London, the immigration status of refugees in the UK and the housing crisis particularly in working class areas. I am also interested in my childhood nostalgia (for Kenya) and how that affects my identity as a person from the diaspora.  

 

Do you find that there are limitations when working with recycled materials?

Not at all. In fact as a sculptor, process and material are key elements in my making and the challenge of working with objects or materials that no longer have a function create infinite possibilities and ideas rather than limitations. 

  

What advice would you give to multi-disciplinary artists similar to yourself, whom are trying to navigate cultural and racial parameters in their niche?

Keep going - don't give up! Don’t pander to the masses. Make work that you want to make. Know and understand your value as an artist and don't give your ideas away for free.