Beatrice Wanjiku, is a Kenyan
visual
The visual system comprises the sensory organ (the eye) and parts of the central nervous system (the retina containing photoreceptor cells, the optic nerve, the optic tract and the visual cortex) which gives organisms the sense of sight (the ...
and
abstract artist
Abstract art uses visual language of shape, form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world.
Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th ...
, who practices independently in
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
, the capital city of Kenya.
Early life and education
Beatrice was born in the
Ngong Hills Area in 1978. After attending local primary and secondary schools, she was admitted to the '' Buruburu Institute of Fine Arts'', in
Buruburu
Buruburu is a housing estate within Nairobi City County in Kenya. Buruburu is a vast development inhabited by lower middle-class people. The estate was designed in 1974 and comprises six phases, with the fifth completed in the mid-1980s. The estat ...
, a neighborhood in
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
, the capital city of Kenya. In 2002, she graduated with a
Diploma in Fine Art.
Career
Her work is divided into distinct phases (a) Mortality Phase (b) X-ray Phase (c) American Experience Phase (d) Introspective Phase.
; Mortality Phase
This phase reflects Beatrice's personal feels of profound personal loss, following the death of her mother, with whom she was very close.
; X-Ray Phase
In this phase, she appears to strip away the exterior of her subject and look directly "into the very soul of her subject".
; American Experience Phase
In the second decade of the 21st century, Beatrice spent three months in the state of
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
in the United States. Her visit coincided with the
Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a protest Social movement, movement against economic inequality and the Campaign finance, influence of money in politics that began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Financial District, Manhattan, Wall S ...
Movement. This phase of her art involves work with embedded newspaper clippings on the topic from this period.
; Introspective Phase
This phase continues the search for the soul and internal meaning. One piece from this phase is "The Strangeness of My Madness" and another one shows weeping teeth.
Other consideration
Beatrice Wanjiku has exhibited her work in galleries and public and private exhibitions internationally.
See also
*
Wangechi Mutu
Wangechi Mutu (born 1972) is a Kenyan-born American visual artist, known primarily for her painting, sculpture, film, and performance work.[Ingrid Mwangi
Ingrid Mwangi (born 1975) is a German artist, of Kenyan-German descent. She works with photography, sculpture and in multimedia, performance, and installation art. In 2005, she co-founded ''Mwangi Hutter.''
Early life and education
Ingrid Njeri ...](_ ...<br></span></div>
* <div class=)
*
Kawira Mwirichia
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wanjiku, Beatrice
Living people
1978 births
Kikuyu people
Kenyan painters
People from Nairobi
Artists from Nairobi
Kenyan women artists