Wangari Mathenge “Perspectives”

“Perspectives” is first solo exhibition in Italy by painter Wangari Mathenge.
Born in Kenya, raised between Nairobi and London and then moved to the United States for study, Mathenge interprets and reveals in her canvases the multiplicity of her identity and memory from African tradition, culture and the diaspora.

In the artworks Mathenge uses expressive and luminous brushstrokes, bold colors and vivid patterns to present intimate scenes in domestic and familiar environment. The protagonists of the paintings -mostly women- are often surrounded by personal and everyday objects, symbols and marks of time, place and culture.
“Perspectives” includes a series of works in which Mathenge places herself at the center: her hands, her face, her body, her garden, the clothes she wears, the little everyday things: “perspective” on the side of the subjects portrayed, of their environment, tradition and as the viewer’s point of view, in a shared and open dialogue that questions even the “perspective” of the artist.