In short
Kenyan artist Mika Obanda’s mosaic and mixed-media work, “Trying to Blossom,” made largely from collected eggshells, and how his life in Mukuru slum and a devastating studio fire shaped his themes (women’s rights, femicide, resilience, spirituality).
Guest backgrounds
Mika Obanda is a Nairobi-based artist living in Mukuru. He grew up in the slum, faced police brutality and government neglect, and had a youth period involving drugs; he later became a born-again Christian and returned to art after school expulsion. His mother is a tailor who designs outfits for exhibitions. Rose is a publisher (African Art News) who helped amplify the fire incident.
Key claims
Eggshell mosaics are “activist” and therapeutic; art helps him find peace and speak out creatively. After the fire, he refused to recreate lost pieces and restarted with community support via a Kibera residency.
Notable examples
Eggshell preparation (drying, painting with acrylic + wood glue, cutting with a scalpel). Artwork testers like “Support System” (candle/light theme). Exhibition pieces: “Toxic Cult” (toxic masculinity + falling Kenyan flag), “Her Reality” (abused mother figure), “Pink Trauma” (fire imagery), and “Ratio 3 to 1” (women’s abuse ratio).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOLife in Mukuru and Its Influence
1:32 to 2:28
Explore how living in the Mukuru slum shapes Mika's artistic vision and themes.
“But first, here's a reminder of the artwork he was making with a surprising twist.”
Mika's Studio Tour
2:28 to 4:04
Take a virtual tour of Mika's studio and see his artistic process firsthand.
“It can be a difficult place to thrive in.”
Themes in Mika's Art
4:04 to 5:48
Delve into the themes of hardship and resilience reflected in Mika's art.
“I can see some of the eggshells which you've already prepared are painted pink, purple, yellow, red, all sorts of colours.”
The Laborious Art of Eggshell Mosaics
5:48 to 7:27
Understand the detailed process of creating mosaics from eggshells.
“So like the third one here, I can see a sketch where there are four people sitting on the floor and there are two stools.”
Mika's Artistic Journey
7:27 to 13:00
Learn about Mika's early life, struggles, and how he found his path in art.
“And then slice them piece by piece into very simple shapes.”
The Influence of Family
14:51 to 15:40
Explore how Mika's mother inspires his work and style.
“As well as working on his mosaics, Mika has an exhibition of his charcoal and pastel drawings happening next week and his mother is on a mission to help him look his best.”
Addressing Femicide in Art
15:40 to 16:15
Mika discusses his artwork tackling the issue of femicide in Kenya.
“It's a big ongoing problem in Kenya, which has included a nationwide march against the rising cases of violence against women.”
The Role of Personal Experience
16:15 to 16:52
Mika shares how personal experiences shape his artistic expression.
“The piece itself, it's called Her Reality.”
Artistic Growth and Expansion
16:52 to 18:08
Follow Mika's artistic development and new studio space.
“So that's your mom calling again about the shoes.”
Disaster Strikes: The Fire Incident
18:08 to 20:23
Mika recounts the traumatic experience of losing his studio to fire.
“and that's why I feel like it was hard for my mum to understand that someone can be an artist from the slum.”
Show all 15 chapters
Community Support and Recovery
20:23 to 23:25
Explore how the community rallied around Mika after his loss.
“And I left him finishing off those last few pieces for the exhibition.”
New Beginnings in Art
23:25 to 25:46
Mika discusses his new projects and the symbolism of plants in his art.
“And I remember when you called me, it was sad to know what had happened to you, but at least we knew that you needed some help.”
Art as a Reflection of Society
25:46 to 27:50
Mika elaborates on how his work addresses social issues through art.
“Are there also works you've done that's related to the fire incident that you've experienced?”
Vision and Inspiration
27:50 to 28:00
Mika reflects on his journey and the inspirations behind his work.
“So this I did with the help of my friend Sammy.”
Mika Obanda's Artistic Journey
28:00 to 28:55
Explore Mika Obanda's experiences and insights on art and community.
“So he helped me with some paint and some woodcut tools and then I did a woodcut about peace and unity and all that.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Frenny Jowi:This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.
0:30Frenny Jowi:Make your travel dollars work harder. Follow Smart Travel on your favourite podcast app. Decisions made in Washington can affect your portfolio every day. But what policy changes should investors be watching? Washington Wise is an original podcast from Charles Schwab that unpacks the stories making news in Washington right now and how they may affect your finances and portfolio. Listen at schwab.com slash Washington Wise. That's schwab.com slash Washington Wise. Welcome to the documentary in the studio from the BBC World Service. I am Freni Jowi. Last summer, I met the Kenyan artist Mika Obanda at his studio in the slums of Nairobi, where I saw the mosaics and drawings he was finishing off for an exhibition.
1:24Frenny Jowi:He's been through a lot since then. I want to tell you about the challenges he's faced and how that has affected his work. But first, here's a reminder of the artwork he was making with a surprising twist. His mosaics are not created using traditional tiles, but from something most of us throw away. Eggshells.
1:45Mika Obanda:Eggshells can do art. Deep, very meaningful art.
1:50Frenny Jowi:For the past six years, he's been using these delicate shells, painstakingly placing the tiny pieces to create his vibrant, personal and activist artworks.
2:00Mika Obanda:When I'm using a shell, I'm exploring colour. Mosaica feels very personal to me. It made me find peace in the moment that I couldn't find peace.
2:08Frenny Jowi:Mika lives and works in Mukuru, a slum area in the south of Nairobi. Now, about 60 % of the capital's population live in slums. and Mika's artworks often depicts the experiences faced by the 700 ,000 people who call Mukuru home. It's crowded. It can be a difficult place to thrive in.
2:37Mika Obanda:Mukuru inspires my work a lot. Like 90 % of what I do is inspired from here. When I speak about what I've gone through, all this is affecting me. That's what comes out in my work.
2:54Frenny Jowi:So I'm just taking a walk to Mika's studio in Mukuru. There are so many shops and children coming back from school. Open air markets. Hello, Mika.
3:08Mika Obanda:Hello, Franny. How have you been?
3:09Frenny Jowi:I'm good.
3:10Mika Obanda:Yeah, I'm happy to have you here and I would like to show you the studio.
3:15Frenny Jowi:All right, let's go then. So all of your neighbours here, these are like their family houses and your studio is the only house in this area that's like an office or a workplace?
3:27Mika Obanda:Yeah, yeah.
3:31Mika Obanda:This is my studio. This is where I create my work. It's a very hot space.
3:37Frenny Jowi:Yes, I'm sweating right now.
3:39Mika Obanda:Yes.
3:40Frenny Jowi:This entire room is made of iron sheet. And because this room doesn't have a window, makers created sort of a window on the ceiling made from...
3:50Mika Obanda:Transparent sheets.
3:52Frenny Jowi:On my left-hand side are sketches and the bucket of eggshells.
3:57Mika Obanda:Yeah, the bucket of eggshells. This is like my... where I collect them and put them after they've dried. I put them here.
4:05Frenny Jowi:I can see some of the eggshells which you've already prepared are painted pink, purple, yellow, red, all sorts of colours.
4:14Mika Obanda:Yes, before even starting to cut them, I usually paint them using acrylics with a very thick layer of paint. And then I mix it with wood glue to make it more stronger. So these are like my palettes.
4:27Frenny Jowi:Mika's using these palettes to create his latest artworks, a series of mosaics called Trying to Blossom. in which he's putting himself at the centre of his works.
4:38Mika Obanda:I've started with the first testers, which are going to give me a ground for the whole series. And then I make the pieces, the mosaics, very big artworks.
4:48Frenny Jowi:Do you have any reasons for choosing that particular theme?
4:52Mika Obanda:Yeah, because I've grown in the slums here in Mukuru Koruben. I'm trying to show, trying to blossom in the midst of all these hardships, growing in the slum, police brutality, the government like me is using funds which are supposed to help people in a particular state or in a particular area. All those things, I want to address them, but now in a very creative way that is consumable by everyone. I want to go deep into the challenges that they face, trying to see that artist, everything that affects him as a Kenyan, as an African.
5:24Frenny Jowi:You scribbled some notes here, trying to blossom distribution plan one. The self-education and research, overlooking my younger self, I can believe. You'll watch this flourish. I love that. And you're sketching in chalk.
5:41Mika Obanda:Yeah, and what I'm doing currently is just small pieces, like just a test of waters on how far this series can go.
5:47Frenny Jowi:As I can see, you've pinned 11 testers on the wall. So like the third one here, I can see a sketch where there are four people sitting on the floor and there are two stools. One of them is toppled over and there's also a candle lit in the room.
6:05Mika Obanda:It's titled support system. That's me. She's sitting there and then the family is like, yeah, that's the support system. So then the candle like showing like the light is not enough.
6:14Frenny Jowi:Oh, so the candle features in a lot of the tester pieces that you have on the wall here. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
6:21Mika Obanda:Because these are showing the very low moments of an artist moving to a new space where you don't know how it is. Most of the things are not clear.
6:30Frenny Jowi:And definitely a big part of your studio is the eggshell collection. So right in front of us we have a bucket full of eggshells.
6:40Mika Obanda:So these I collect from hotels in Nairobi. Every week I would go for them. Eggshells is the major part of my studio.
6:47Frenny Jowi:The eggshells, when you get them, are they sometimes full of leftover egg yolk and egg white? Are they wet? Because the ones you have here look pretty clean and not smelly. I was expecting to smell some rotten eggs in here.
7:02Mika Obanda:Yeah, first thing first, when I get them, I dry them in the sun. When they are dry, they don't have any smell. And then after painting them, I break them, and they get very hard when I paint them with a very thick layer.
7:15Frenny Jowi:They get stronger after painting with acrylic.
7:18Mika Obanda:Yeah, so then I flatten them with my hands.
7:22Frenny Jowi:And now they're not brittle anymore. It actually needs quite more force to break the shells.
Read the full transcript
7:27Mika Obanda:Yeah, it's now even harder. So then I have to get a scalpel. And then slice them piece by piece into very simple shapes. And also while cutting them, I have to know where I'm going to place them. because if it's a very large area, I'm going to cut them into very bigger shapes. So I am, like, taking the colour brown. It's, like, next to orange.
7:54Frenny Jowi:And what you're working on now, according to your notebook, is number seven, which is entitled You'll Watch Me Flourishing.
8:01Mika Obanda:So I've made these kind of green trees and leaves with it, and then there's a crowd of people. The main character in the work who has, like, a coat which has leaves growing on him. He's trying to be honestly himself. And then everyone is surprised and they're looking. And even someone is sniffing out the leaves that are growing from him, showing people that they'll watch you grow, they'll watch you flourish, they'll watch you be this person who they never thought you'd be. And I'm going to pick some eggshells and get the knife.
8:36Mika Obanda:and then I take a brush and some glue. I apply them at a particular place.
8:44Frenny Jowi:What do you use for your canvas?
8:46Mika Obanda:I use wood, MDF boards, sometimes ply boards.
8:51Frenny Jowi:So this one, we are now on the face of the main character and you're applying the glue so you can be able to stick the sliced eggshells.
9:01Mika Obanda:So I use now a bamboo skewer. It's like this thick, just used for mostly food, mshikaki, that kind of thing.
9:09Frenny Jowi:Mshikaki is the Swahili word for skewers.
9:11Mika Obanda:And I pick one like that.
9:13Frenny Jowi:So you apply a little bit of glue on the tip of the bamboo skewer, and then that glue enables you to pick the eggshell piece using the skewer, and then you stick it manually using your hands.
9:26Mika Obanda:Yeah, or I can even, sometimes I don't even use my hand, I can just go it like that.
9:30Frenny Jowi:Mika, this is quite laborious like sticking all these tiny pieces until you make an entire painting
9:39Mika Obanda:Yes, it's very therapeutic for me I have a lot of racing thoughts and the patience that comes with working with eggshells I think it slows me down slowly by slowly until I finish the whole artwork and it can take even two months or maybe even this artwork which I did and it took six months
9:55Frenny Jowi:So I'll let you do the sticking as I watch you without distracting you because you need to pay attention.
10:01Mika Obanda:Yes. Sometimes I even realise that I place a particular very good colour in a particular place without even knowing. So it can get me to that place where I can be so in the moment that I even forget I'm working. I just feel like I'm just having fun. And basically that's art. The brown has a lot of orange. That's why I mix it that way. Specifically for this person, you can see the others are a bit pale. This one is popping out more because I'm like showing the main person in the artwork. I want him to be so visible in a way that no one can assume him.
10:36Frenny Jowi:So it's a mixture of colours, the ones that pop out and the ones that are quieter.
10:42Mika Obanda:Yeah, basically that.
10:44Frenny Jowi:You know, one thing I've also noticed is that it ends up giving a rough texture.
10:50Mika Obanda:Yes, and actually I love the texture.
10:52Frenny Jowi:So you feel the texture gives your work a bit more superiority or an edge?
10:57Mika Obanda:Yeah, in a way.
10:59Frenny Jowi:Well, that's your style. I noticed that your studio is in a place where the traffic noise can get very loud and your neighbours can be loud at times. Does that distract you?
11:12Mika Obanda:Yeah, so sometimes it's like maybe that noise was meant to be there so that I create something. So I just accept that nature plays its part at times.
11:20Frenny Jowi:So now I'm just standing behind Mika and I'm giving him some quiet time so he can keep working on this. Quite a labour of love. And he's smiling.
11:33Mika Obanda:So you can see the studio is so hot that I have to put water in the glue so that it doesn't dry down, the glue doesn't dry.
11:40Frenny Jowi:The temperatures are going as high as 28 degrees Celsius, but that's not too hot for Nairobi. As he works, Mika tells me about his early life and his discovery of using eggshells for art.
11:57Mika Obanda:I started getting into drugs. The teacher saw us, searched my bag, and my mum, she was, like, very mad at me, so I had to go to stay with my sister. So I was kicked out of school for, what was supposed to be, two weeks, but I stayed out of school for three months. I had stayed with my sister. Her husband was very religious. I even got saved. I even became a...
12:14Frenny Jowi:You became a born-again Christian.
12:16Mika Obanda:Yes.
12:17Frenny Jowi:Did that save you from the illegal stuff?
12:20Mika Obanda:Yes, I think it did, because from that time I've never done it again. I told the teacher that I can't go back and to go to a new school to start over in a good way. Now this new school had art as a lesson. Over and over I would go to the art room window and then saw them using eggshells in mosaic. I loved what they were doing. After seeing that I would go back home collect eggshells from the riverside and start doing mosaic over and over. I took the artwork that I did to that teacher and then to my surprise she loved it so much. art helps me a lot to understand things everything else that's not concerned with art I'm not doing
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14:38Frenny Jowi:You're listening to the documentary In the Studio from the BBC World Service. and I'm with the Kenyan artist Mika Obanda as he works on his eggshell mosaic series, Trying to Blossom. As well as working on his mosaics, Mika has an exhibition of his charcoal and pastel drawings happening next week and his mother is on a mission to help him look his best.
15:03Mika Obanda:That's my mum. Hello, mummy. Okay, I'm going to go to an interview.
15:11Frenny Jowi:Sorry, so that's your mum calling? Is it work-related?
15:15Mika Obanda:Yeah, it's work-related because she's buying for me shoes for my exhibition. I'm getting very stylish, inspired by some Southie Soul music.
15:24Frenny Jowi:And Southie Soul is a popular Kenyan music band. Looks like your mum is your wardrobe manager.
15:29Mika Obanda:She's doing a lot of things. She's a tailor. Actually, I think most of my work is inspired by her also.
15:34Frenny Jowi:Mika has put the issue of femicide at the centre of his works for this exhibition. It's a big ongoing problem in Kenya, which has included a nationwide march against the rising cases of violence against women. I can see it's a picture of a woman who is crouching on the ground and she looks afraid and there's a crowd of people behind her.
15:59Mika Obanda:Yeah, that's the whole concept actually. It's called a toxic cult, addressing the toxic masculinity that's around and also like the flag of the country, the Kenyan flag is like falling on the ground. So it's like showing like if we keep abusing the woman, this means that the country is like falling.
16:14Frenny Jowi:I can also see you have a picture of a woman carrying a tray of eggs or are those fruits? What are you using here? Chacol?
16:24Mika Obanda:Yeah, that's charcoal. The piece itself, it's called Her Reality. So it's basically, and I talk speaking about my mom, how it was when we were growing up in the slums. This is her being abused. She shows people this flower, that everything is fine, and she serves the men around her. Like, nothing is wrong. So it's like addressing issues about femicide, like where does this thing come from? That's my mom. Yeah. Hello? Hello? Is this Janie Fraisha? Mm-mm. I'm not talking about the car. I'm not talking about the car.
17:09Frenny Jowi:So that's your mom calling again about the shoes. Give us an update.
17:13Mika Obanda:So the shoes are not like the ones that I wanted.
17:15Frenny Jowi:So the picture she sent there, that's a blue boot. Like gambut you wear when you're gardening.
17:21Mika Obanda:Yeah, I want something like this. Something that has...
17:24Frenny Jowi:A heel. Yeah. This is an important part of the exhibition. Finding the right shoes.
17:33Frenny Jowi:I'm peeping through to his phone. Wow, it's a similar one, but in white. Mika's very choosy when it comes to his shoes for the exhibition. Oh, you just told your mom no. Will she be heartbroken that you didn't like her choices?
17:49Mika Obanda:No, she won't because she's making for me the outfit for the show.
17:52Frenny Jowi:Oh, so she's still a big part of your costume design.
17:55Mika Obanda:Yeah, she's making this very bell-bottom.
17:57Frenny Jowi:Yeah, like fashion from the 70s, from the 1970s.
18:01Mika Obanda:Yeah, and also like a kimono.
18:03Frenny Jowi:Your mum wanted you to study business. How is art viewed in Kenya?
18:07Mika Obanda:In Kenya, I think art is in its growing stages, and that's why I feel like it was hard for my mum to understand that someone can be an artist from the slum.
18:17Frenny Jowi:I leave Mika to prepare his work and find the right shoes, and return three months later to see how everything's going. I can see that he's finished the smaller eggshell mosaic templates and is now working on creating the larger versions of the works. He's also been expanding his studio, taking over the units next door. Yeah, I can see it's almost double the size.
18:43Mika Obanda:Yeah, I'm happy not to fill up the space.
18:45Frenny Jowi:A big change in the Trying to Blossom series is that Makas decided that it's not just going to be the eggshell mosaics. He's also adding some big charcoal and pastel paintings to it as well.
18:58Mika Obanda:I wanted trying to blossom series to be diverse, to have a variety of mediums.
19:02Frenny Jowi:So mosaics, paintings.
19:05Mika Obanda:Pastel drawings. I'm currently researching, doing these artworks which are about spirituality and how art is a ministry. With this I'm going to showcase them in Kibera, House of Friends Gallery.
19:17Frenny Jowi:I can see you have six sketches and one looks complete, but you haven't done it with the eggshells. This looks like chalk and pastel.
19:28Mika Obanda:Yeah, I've done it with coloured pastel. Coloured pastel.
19:31Frenny Jowi:There's a person, I see if they're floating in the air and there's a crowd beneath them.
19:38Mika Obanda:The artwork is called Sacrificial Lamb. The artist is like a sacrificial lamb because they hold nothing behind and they are free with what they express.
19:48Frenny Jowi:So you like experimenting with different materials. When you use charcoal, does it get your hands really dirty and black? Does it get into your nails? Do you use the charcoal while wearing gloves?
20:03Mika Obanda:Getting dirty in the studio is one of the things I think that inspires me. I don't know about other people, but for me, I think that in the studio, I think I have to really get messy.
20:12Frenny Jowi:Messy is creative.
20:14Mika Obanda:Yeah, that's where I feel like I'm being creative. Like now I'm really making art.
20:17Frenny Jowi:It was wonderful to see how Mika's enthusiastic energy inspired his art. And I left him finishing off those last few pieces for the exhibition. But then just a few weeks later, disaster struck.
20:32Mika Obanda:Around midnight, I was going out to pour some water. Then I saw some people coming from up here. So I was thinking maybe just something has happened and I went and slept. So then the next morning, my mum was calling me and telling me that everything has just been involved in the fire accident. I felt like all my effort, everything that I've been putting together to prepare me for the future and for my career has gone to nothing.
20:55Frenny Jowi:Sadly, Mika got the news that his studio, along with a number of neighbouring homes, was destroyed in a fire. Fires are all too common in the slums of Nairobi, and he was keen to find out if any of his work could be saved.
21:11Mika Obanda:I saw how everything is on the floor. I was crying, a lot of crying actually. I could not control it. Then my mom, my sister came, tried to hold me together. It was a feeling of numbness for a period of time. I remember I just thought that everything that I've ever worked on is gone and never come back again. After one day, I started calling a few people that are close or maybe that we had plans with in the studio. And through those calls, I think that's where my courage came back again.
21:43Frenny Jowi:I'm very sorry to hear that. That must have been a very heartbreaking experience. Was everyone okay in the fire? Was anybody hurt?
21:51Mika Obanda:No one was hurt, but the loss of belongings, loss of where to sleep, you know, that's a reality in the slum. It's something that they know happens over and over again.
22:02Frenny Jowi:It's devastating to hear that these fires are a common occurrence here. So after the fire that took down your studio, what happened next?
22:13Mika Obanda:I remember I called a friend of mine called Rose. She's a publisher of the African Art News. So then she encouraged me to share that incident on my social platforms. And after sharing it online, I started getting support. People calling, people trying to check up on me. and through that I got a residency in Kibera. So that was like some sense of hope. They wanted me to maybe repeat the pieces that I had made. I had to insist that I can't do that. It's not possible. I am an artist who lives mostly in the moment. I can't create something that is long gone. So I had to go back to the studio again and start afresh.
22:52Mika Obanda:People funded my stay in Kibera by materials for my art practice. Hey, builders were building the studio. Through that, that's where I really found the real community. But again, I never chose to be born in Mukuru.
23:05Frenny Jowi:Because Mukuru is a neighbourhood that's challenging to live in. There's a bit of crowding, a problem with garbage collection, the electricity supply isn't constant. There are just so many challenges that Mukuru residents face.
23:19Mika Obanda:Yeah, and the support that I got, I didn't get it because someone is pitying me. I got it because people know the work that I do.
23:27Frenny Jowi:And I remember when you called me, it was sad to know what had happened to you, but at least we knew that you needed some help.
23:35Mika Obanda:Yeah, talking about things I think is very helpful for a person. When you speak it out, that's where you actually get freedom. When you don't do that, you get locked into yourself and you forget. There's a world out there waiting for you.
23:47Frenny Jowi:So we're here to see your new studio?
23:49Mika Obanda:So it's the one with two windows and then planters hanging from the wire mesh to window.
23:54Frenny Jowi:All right. You have to go up the stairs?
23:58Mika Obanda:Yeah.
23:59Frenny Jowi:Wow, this gives you a view of the area.
24:06Mika Obanda:Welcome.
24:07Frenny Jowi:Wow, this is much more spacious and much more natural light. And we get a cool breeze. The previous studio used to get a bit heated up in the sun.
24:17Mika Obanda:Yeah, at the time, like, now it would have been, like, you'd be sweating.
24:22Frenny Jowi:now here you don't need any air conditioning so right at the corner is the main artwork going on tell us about this nika i can see it's still in black and white on every year i've been making
24:40Mika Obanda:a self-portrait of myself and this year my theme is being untamed living life as if you're free so the portrait is taking some aspects of the studio so having some plants, some brush and me in my studio attire actually I would say and then the chains that I have in my hand so like just trying to capture aspects of me that make me feel untamed there was a lot of rubbing, a lot of starting and not completing so and then when I was like doing the last sketch I got what I wanted and I was like oh this is actually a relief I started feeling represented by that portrait
25:14Frenny Jowi:So when I look at this portrait, I see a version of you that is more grown up, luxurious and experiencing soft life.
25:26Mika Obanda:Yeah, I think it has that. Thank you so much for that video.
25:31Frenny Jowi:There's just a lot of work you're doing here using chalk and pastel and your signature eggshells. You've already coloured them pink, purple, yellow, green, all the colours of the rainbow.
25:45Mika Obanda:Yeah, this time around I'm using eggshells in mosaic trying to see how I've grown up. These are the most recent ones, yeah.
25:53Frenny Jowi:Are there also works you've done that's related to the fire incident that you've experienced?
25:59Mika Obanda:Yeah, yeah, yeah. Specifically there's this one. It's called the pink trauma. It's an eggshell mosaic cutter. He's still in progress. So it's showing me, and then there is, like, fire burning, everything that I'm creating.
26:13Frenny Jowi:Oh, so there's pink flames.
26:15Mika Obanda:Yeah, pink flames, and then there's a sticker, the Arish and Crisis, and then he's still holding his flowers in his hands, you can see. All those things that he owned and he valued, like in a fire accident. So showing that even though there is trauma, there's still hope and vision that we will rise past all those things that are happening in life.
26:34Frenny Jowi:I noticed that in your new studio, plants have become a big addition. You have the snake plant down there in the corner, some succulents, and you have even fresh peppermint. But the plants are also featuring a lot in your paintings. For example, the painting right in front of us, there are three women and there are two potted plants. and one of the plants is a climber that's growing all the way onto the beautiful woman's shoulder.
27:05Mika Obanda:Yeah, the artwork itself is titled Ratio 3 to 1. It's a very dark painting. I was in a meeting last year when I was receiving my award for my work. I was an artist who makes artworks around women's rights. When I was receiving this award, they mentioned the ratio of women being abused. Like every three women, there's one who is being abused.
27:25Frenny Jowi:So that's what you mean by the painting is dark, because actually the literal painting is done in very bright colours. There's bright green and pink and yellow, but the concept of women experiencing abuse is what you're referring to as dark.
27:40Mika Obanda:Yeah, I wanted to show the dignity and the beauty that they possess, you know. How is that beauty linked to these abuses? It makes you think and maybe look at things differently.
27:50Frenny Jowi:Okay, so show us a bit more.
27:53Mika Obanda:Slowly by slowly we get to our woodcut. So this I did with the help of my friend Sammy. So he helped me with some paint and some woodcut tools and then I did a woodcut about peace and unity and all that. Okay. And then you have a plant, one of my babies. My favourite actually, I love it so much and we are growing really well together. It has never disappointed me and actually it keeps bringing new shoots all the time.
28:21Frenny Jowi:And your new studio has a great view of the outdoors.
28:25Mika Obanda:At some point we used to live in that field. And I remember at one point coming from school and I was just thinking that one day I'll have a studio and I'll be looking at the whole slum from a very high point. So I have now a whole view of the slum. I can sit here and just meditate.
28:38Frenny Jowi:Actually, I just saw a really big pig running across the green open field. Oh. So the lucky pig might get featured in your next painting.
28:48Mika Obanda:Probably. The small experiences bring the big visions to life.
28:55Frenny Jowi:You've been listening to the documentary in the studio with the Kenyan artist Mika Obanda, proving that art and community can help rebuild a life. The program was presented by me, Franny Jowy, and the producers were Andrea Kidd and Paula McGrath.
From the publisher
Mika Obanda creates vibrant mosaics using egg shells in his Kenyan studio. He gets the eggshells from local hotels and paints them after cleaning and shaping them.
Last summer Frenny Jowi visited him as he prepared his latest collection, Trying to Blossom, for an exhibition. But then disaster struck - so Frenny has been back to find out how Mika has coped with hardship, with support from his local community.
