Dennis Muraguri is a highly articulate man – and that without saying a word. He is one of the regular artists based at Kuona Trust Centre for Visual Arts in Nairobi, Kenya. Dennis’ infatuation is to express his views on current events, and he does so by recycling old rusty bicycle chains, charred pieces of flotsam and old pistons into thought-provoking and purposeful compositions.
Dennis Muraguri
"I’m not a political commentator", he pledges. "I just express my views the way I see them". The soft-spoken Nairobi native with the spiky dreadlocks can express quite a lot when an idea is given a few days to swirl around his imaginative and conscientious mind.
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The artist's workshop
A quick look at some of his works reveals clearly that current events certainly do influence the end products of Dennis’ work. The walls of his container-workshop are filled with finished or half-finished items telling stories about politicians, corporations, fashion trends and more. But as he says, he begins by making a basis; just putting some wood and metal together, only to leave it for a while awaiting the correct inspiration. When he comes back to it he might or might not remember what was occupying his mind when the basis was made, and he’ll mould it into whatever is occupying his mind at present – thus probably giving the upper hand to the most recent twists of the news.
US President Obama is one who’s been on the receiving end. Being a politician is a dual-sided vocation, and the president with ties to Kenya is no exception. The front of the figure showcases the Obama to whom we’ve all grown accustomed; hand held high, promising greener pastures through that booming voice which transmits into the microphone. But then there is the flipside, which Dennis argues all men in power have when it comes down to it; it carries an interpretation of the devil.
President Obama, making promises. The flipside; the devil which is inside every high-ranking politician.
The words of Dennis Muraguri: "Politicians have two sides; the spotlight they’re in when on the news, looking good and trying to make their opponents look bad. But on the backside there is a devil. At then end of the day they’re all just part of one game. They are slaves to their own politics and what they’ve become".
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By the time of my visit, it’s bright day in Nairobi’s Hurlingham district. Dennis’ eyes are a little bloodshot, his voice very soft, and his movement unhurried and measured. It’s just not his time of day: "I work best after dark, mainly because it gets cooler".
Whatever his working hours, this is hard work, and the main goal is, as always, to make a living. Despite the perhaps unconventional ways of earning his keep, Dennis is certainly un-eccentric enough to negotiate the best prices he can when someone takes an interest in one of his works. "I’m not rich, but I get by", he asserts.
This is a man who’s long since learned not to lose his footing when the occasional visitor offers compliments of awe, and vows to make him a famous man, saying he’s heard it one too many times. The Buru Buru Financial Institute graduate is as humble as they come regarding his skills, and merely seeks to make a living by articulating his thoughts through art. "Organising an exhibition is difficult, doing the artwork is easier", he concludes without any traces of bitterness in his voice. "This is a place people to who are looking for real art".
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"The hardest bit of creating something like this is the thinking; getting ideas and trying to visualise them in my head. Making it with the tools is easy", he states. The tools are for the most part uncomplicated. Save for an electric drill and a torch to add character especially to the wood, the work is undertaken with knives, hammers, and pliers. The result is something quite unique. Dennis agrees, saying: "I have not met anyone else who makes similar things to me. Mostly I get ideas from the materials. They help me see something, and I get further inspiration from what I see for example on the news".
When I ask him where he gets the inputs for his creations, he reveals an almost sentimental side. Broken furniture or leftover-wood from construction sites, lugs and other pieces of old industrial metal – basically whatever he comes across. Never new materials, but rather things which were originally built to serve a function, not just beautification.
Although he insists that all materials used must be recycled ones, he wouldn’t call his artistry an expression of environmental activism. That is not to say he doesn’t have views on the environment problematique. He most certainly does. Observing the circus of recent years’ climate conferences, “The Toy Soldier” – one of his works – represents the interests of the big corporations which will do anything to work against deals that could compromise their potential profits. Always ready for a fight...
"The Toy Soldier"
On a similar note, corporate social responsibility and corporations claiming to go green are products of fashion. The miniscule effect of their trendy measures does nothing to offset the damage caused by the machine. "It’s all for shows", he says.
The petite green chord at the top denotes the "corporate social responsibility" of the corporate machine.
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Dennis Muraguri adamantly holds that he is not a cynic; he merely creates pieces which illustrate the world as he observes it. "Some of my pieces might seem scary to some, but it is a scary world we live in", he sums up.
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The shallow quest for eternal youth through surgery - the result being a tight face held up by nails and stitches.
One last check before making a sale.
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