Nairobi-based artist Kaloki Nyamai expands global footprint with Venice showcase
Multidisciplinary visual artist Kaloki Nyamai is among the 111 artists exhibiting at the Venice Biennale, which runs from May 9 to November 22, 2026.
Based in Nairobi, Nyamai has built an international reputation for immersive installations, paintings, and sculptural works that explore history, memory, identity, resilience, and renewal through materials and traditions found in the Kamba community.
Born in Kitui in 1985, Nyamai’s mother introduced him to drawing and painting at an early age, while his grandmother, a traditional Kamba singer and storyteller, immersed him in oral histories and cultural rituals that he uses in his art.
Nyamai studied interior design at the Buruburu Institute of Fine Arts (BIFA) in Nairobi before transitioning fully into fine art after working in other creative industries. His background in design influences his large-scale installations and exhibitions, which blur the boundaries between painting, sculpture, and architecture.
