Ehoodi Kichapi

Ehoodi Kichapi (b. Jesse Ng’ang’a) is a self taught artist, who has been painting for the last fifteen years. His artistic life started in 2002, through doing caricatures as an instructor for the Kuruka Maisha art group. He had his first solo show in 2007 at the Alliance Francaise, in Nairobi, Kenya.

“His work is expressive and graphic: energetic line drawings, circles, marks, scribblings, figures, rudimentary images of animals, portraits, screaming faces and reaching hands create harsh and brutal images. Wild colourful acrylic paint is applied in thick sweeping strokes, creating abstract sections in his work that are just about colour and movement.” (From 2009 East African Art Biennale, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania).

Since being represented by One Off Gallery, Kichapi has successfully exhibited in Cape Town with Nini Gallery and in Madrid with Gazzambo Gallery. Whilst he credits Francis Bacon, Mark Rothko and Jean-Michel Basquiat as his inspiration, he is fast achieving his own individual practice and a strong, often witty, original voice.

Selection of works

Click thumbnail to enlarge and scroll through all images

Ehoodi Kichapi – A Standing Figure III, 2022 – Mixed media on canvas – 110.5h x 94.5w cm - Kshs 200,000

Ehoodi Kichapi – The Gatekeeper, 2022 – Mixed media on canvas – 140h x 100.5w cm - Kshs 250,000

Ehoodi Kichapi – A Standing Figure IV, 2022 – Mixed media on canvas – 140.5h x 105w cm - Kshs 250,000

Ehoodi Kichapi – A Standing Position, 2022 – Mixed media on canvas – 140.5h x 105w cm - Kshs 250,000

Ehoodi Kichapi – A Standing Image, 2022 – Mixed media on canvas – 133h x 95.5w cm - Kshs 225,000

Ehoodi Kichapi – A Car – Mixed media on canvas – 63h x 70w cm - Kshs 60,000

Ehoodi Kichapi – A Flower – Mixed media on canvas – 61h x 66w cm - Kshs 60,000

Ehoodi Kichapi – Portrait of a Woman – Mixed media on canvas – 90h x 71w cm - Kshs 100,000

Ehoodi Kichapi – Motorbike | Honda II – Mixed media on canvas – 92h x 90w cm - Kshs 120,000

Ehoodi Kichapi – A Sitting Woman VIII – Mixed media on canvas – 97h x 77w cm - Kshs 100,000

Ehoodi Kichapi – A Standing Woman II – Mixed media on canvas – 115h x 106w cm - Kshs 150,000

Ehoodi Kichapi – A Sitting Woman X – Mixed media on canvas – 99h x 77w cm - Kshs 100,000

Ehoodi Kichapi – A Sitting Woman IX – Mixed media on canvas – 109h x 74w cm - Kshs 100,000

Ehoodi Kichapi – Motorbike | Honda I – Mixed media on canvas – 63h x 77w cm - Kshs 75,000

Ehoodi Kichapi - Vanity Fair Cow I, 2016 - Mixed media on canvas - 75h x 98w cm

Ehoodi Kichapi - A Cool Bike, 2017 - Mixed media on canvas - 106h x 115w cm

Ehoodi Kichapi - The Head of Cow, 2017 - Acrylic on canvas - 94h x 152w cm

Ehoodi Kichapi - Red Man on Blue, 2017 - Mixed media on vinyl - 90.50h x 70.50w cm

Ehoodi Kichapi - Wild Cat, 2017 - Mixed media on vinyl - 90h x 69w cm

Ehoodi Kichapi - Sitting Position III, 2017 - Mixed media on canvas - 112h x 69w cm

Ehoodi Kichapi - Woman - Mixed media on paper - 64h x 45w cm

Ehoodi Kichapi - Sitting Position I (African Woman), 2017 - Mixed media on canvas - 112h x 70w cm

Ehoodi Kichapi - Sitting Position II (African Woman), 2017 - Mixed media on canvas - 116h x 73w cm

Ehoodi Kichapi - Untitled I, 2017 - Mixed media on canvas - 115h x 115w cm

Ehoodi Kichapi - Untitled II (sleepless in Seattle - Mixed media on vinyl - 90 x 70.5cm

Ehoodi Kichapi - Standing Position III, 2017 - Mixed media on vinyl - 103h x 71w cm

Ehoodi Kichapi - Wild Cat in the city, 2017 - Mixed media on vinyl - 72h x 119w cm

Ehoodi Kichapi - The Seat of Power - Diptych, 2017 - Mixed media on vinyl - 94h x 150w cm

Ehoodi Kichapi - Red Donkey with Yellow, 2017 - Acrylic on canvas - 99h x 76w cm

Ehoodi Kichapi - Old Man, 2017 - Mixed media on vinyl - 74.50h x 70.50w cm

Ehoodi Kichapi - Dentist, 2017 - Mixed media on vinyl - 78.50h x 55w cm

Ehoodi Kichapi - Seated Image of a Woman, 2017 - Mixed media on canvas - 98h x 75w cm

Ehodi Kichapi - Genuine Donkey II, 2017 - Mixed media on vinyl - 101h x 72w cm

Exhibitions

2021 - "Kichapi's Back", Solo Exhibition, One Off Contemporary Art Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya
2019 - "Documentation", Solo exhibition, One Off Contemporary Art Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya
2018 - "Contemplations", Solo exhibition, One Off Contemporary Art Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya
2016 - "Ehoodi Kichapi" - Solo exhibition, One Off Contemporary Art Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya
2014 - Solo exhibition, One Off Contemporary Art Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya
2013 - Solo exhibition, Ateliers mommen, Brussels
2012 - "Lamentations", One Off Contemporary Art Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya
2009 - "Elaborations", RaMoMA Museum of Modern Art, Nairobi, Kenya
2007 - Solo exhibition, Alliance Francaise, Nairobi, Kenya

Six of Kichapi's paintings were chosen for a year long exhibition in Scandinavia.

Kichapi's painting of the singer Ali Farka Toure has been taken to Italy for exhibition at the Casoria Contemporary Art Museum in Naples.

Residencies

2006 - Awarded the University of Kentucky’s Artist in Residence Program, a four month Ruth Hunt Wood Fellowship.

Press

EastAfrican - 14-07-2018 - Now breaking free with a wicked wit
EastAfrican - 11-06-2016 - Nuclear physics and the science of art
EastAfrican - 28-08-2014 - A show in the pincers of a coconut crab
EastAfrican - 17-07-2014 - Angry city moved by falling star
East African - 5-07-2013 - Relationships that give satisfaction
EastAfrican - 13-04-2012 - Waiting for Jesse to explode... again
Business Daily - 12-04-2012 - Ehoodi Charlatan or Kenyan Picasso?
EastAfrican - 22-02-2010 - Meet the onion, it’s soft but can make you weep
EastAfrican - 16-01-2010 - Master comic Ng’ang’a’s works for Scandinavia
EastAfrican - 23-01-2009 - The revolution will be rerun...

Ehoodi Kichapi is exclusively represented in East Africa by One Off

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