Amid the crowds and national pavilions of the Venice Biennale, Kenyan artist Kaloki Nyamai remains focused on questions of connection, healing, and human fragmentation. At the Arsenale, his monumental works are impossible to ignore. Rising like immense suspended surfaces within the exhibition space, they are undoubtedly among the most striking and physically overwhelming installations of this edition of the Biennale. Visitors appear almost dwarfed by these vast layered compositions, where painted figures, fragmented bodies, and textured surfaces unfold into powerful reflections on memory, community, and belonging.
Constructed through assembled sections and dense accumulations of paint, Nyamai’s works reveal themselves gradually as viewers move around them, exposing both their monumental presence and their intimate details. Rooted in personal lineage, collective histories, and the artist’s reflections on social connection, the installations evoke both the strength and fragility of human communities. Speaking with DakArtNews, Nyamai reflects on representation, the importance of platforms such as the Dakar Biennale, and the role of art as a tool for communication and healing.
How does it feel to be here at the Venice Biennale?
Being here feels good. The work is being approached differently. I was here before representing Kenya in 2022, but this time I came in a different context, through this selection. What feels exciting is seeing how people interact with the work. People communicate with it in different ways, and the works are presented through different motions and projections. Everyone has their own perspective, which is very interesting to witness.
As an artist, you create work hoping that people will see it. Here, thousands of people are able to interact with the work within a short span of time. It’s different from a gallery or another venue. Here, the work reaches people very quickly and evokes different emotions and reflections. That is really fascinating and unique.
How important is it for you to be on an international platform like this?
As an African artist, it’s important to be on these kinds of platforms. It’s also important to be on major African platforms like the Dakar Biennale. I had already participated in Venice before, but when I went to the Dakar Biennale, more people started knowing my work. It changed my life. These platforms are extremely important. Venice is important, but Dakar Biennale is also a really major and amazing platform.
We are seeing more African artists gaining visibility internationally. How important is this collective presence for you?
African artists are extremely important. When one artist succeeds, it changes how people see all of us, and it also changes how we see ourselves. Today, many institutions are no longer dominated by one group of people. There is more diversity. It’s important that people can see more African art and more artists from Africa. It is really, really important because it creates appreciation from both sides.
Do you feel that you represent Kenya, Africa, or simply yourself as an artist?
I represent being an artist. I am from Africa, but I am not an ambassador for Africa. Sometimes it feels unfair because when an African artist does something internationally, they are immediately presented as “an African artist.” But artists from other regions are often simply presented as artists.
Why don’t we also box European artists as “European artists” all the time? At the same time, I think it is important for us to stand together. But it is also important to look at artists as individuals. If I make a mistake, that mistake is mine. It does not belong to every African artist. If I do something wrong, that is my responsibility. So yes, I am an artist. I am from Africa. But above all, I represent being an artist.
Can you tell us about the work you are displaying here?
What I am saying is that we live in a very uncomfortable and chaotic world. The question for me is: how do we find healing within that process? How do we find peace, comfort, and wholeness within that chaos? My work asks these questions. I often dig deeply into my lineage and my past because I realized I cannot speak honestly about things I do not know. So I return to my roots — to my grandmother, to family histories, to memory.
The deeper you dig, the more you realize that humanity is like a tree. A tree has roots, branches, and connections. One root forms another root, families connect, generations connect, and the deeper you go, the more similarities you discover between people.
Right now, we live in a violent period where people carry pain inside themselves. Wherever you go, people are carrying pain, but there has not been enough healing. We have separated ourselves into many fragments. We have not yet learned how to become whole again as communities.
When communities come together, they become strong. You can think about my work in the same way. Individually, these are separate pieces. But once connected together, they become one large and powerful whole. If they remained disconnected, there would only be fragments and confusion. But when the pieces are joined together, they create strength.
What is art for you and what does it bring to your life?
Art is a tool for communication. It brings me pride, joy, and a voice for my desires.
Bridging Africa and The World Through Contemporary Art 
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