NAME: Adam Masava
TITLE: BS (Bus Station)
MEDIUM: Mixed Media
DIMENSIONS: 80 x 100 cm
ARTWORK DESCRIPTION: A demonstration of how busy Nairobi’s main bus station is, deftly capturing the chaos and disorganization that are its hallmark.
ARTIST PROFILE: Born in Bondo, South B-Based Adam Masava is an artist and mentor of young artists in his community. Adam is a self-taught artist whose work is significantly inspired by his experiences growing up in a Nairobi slum area. Through his work, the artist is keen to reflect the positive perspectives of life in the slum, with a view to disprove stereotypes associated with low-income areas in Nairobi and around the world.
Judges' Comment
This is a competition and not everyone can be a winner. We looked at a large body of work. In the established artist category alone, we saw about 140 pieces of work by various artists in different media addressing various subjects.
The works we include in the Judges’ Mention are works which, though not necessarily winners, set themselves apart. They stand out in their creator’s execution of the theme and approach to the subject matter.
These pieces demonstrate that the artists have thought clearly about their subject, and reflect a considered approach to medium, idea and presentation.
These artists have worked hard to respond to the theme, and to have the theme meet their own practice and interests in a way that does more than recount a certain idea or just narrate a basic notion of what Nairobi is. This work does more than simply play to our ideas of Nairobi. Each artist has put their best foot forward and deserve recognition for it.