Judges’ Special Mention
NAME: Dickson Nedia Were
TITLE: The Conversants
MEDIUM: Mixed Media Sculpture
DIMENSIONS: 152.1 (H) cm
ARTWORK DESCRIPTION: My work is about the social conversations that women usually have when they gather, for example on different hairstyles at the salon. The same conservations will happen among men, discussing how beautiful the women are based on their physical features only. Nairobi men will always talk about Nairobi ladies (Madem wa Nai)
ARTIST PROFILE: Based at Karen Village, Eldoret-born artist Dickson Nedia is a self-taught artist whose work is inspired by local and current affairs.
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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.