One Off Contemporary Art Gallery
  • Home
  • About
    • One Off
    • One Off Team
  • Artists
    • Exclusive Artists
    • Associated Artists
  • Exhibitions
    • Timothy Brooke Memorial Exhibition
    • At Artcaffe
    • About Sankara >
      • Sankara Exhibition Archive
    • Exhibition Archive
  • Sculpture Garden
  • Visit
  • Purchase
    • Collectors
  • Media
    • Press
    • Video - artists in their workspaces
    • Video Archive
  • Contact

Sankara - Contrasts

One Off Gallery
in collaboration with Sankara Hotel, Westlands
​ is pleased to present
'Contrasts'

 an exhibition of recent artworks by 
Erik Shitawa Sande, Sophie Walbeoffe, Richard Kimathi,
Alex Hamawi and Rashid Diab
Opened Wednesday, 25 May 2016

Invitation to Sankara Exhibition

The latest show presented by Sankara Hotel and One Off Gallery is titled 'Contrasts' featuring new works by Erick Shitawa Sande, Sophie Walbeoffe, Richard Kimathi and Alex Hamawi.  A few paintings by Sudan's Rashid Diab will also be featured.  From the hyper realism of Hamawi's paintings to the quirky symbolism of Shitawa's works and from the arid desert of Sudan to the lush pastures of the Mara, the show aims to  highlight contrasts.

The exhibition at Sankara will be Hamawi's first in Kenya.  As a graduate of two of Britain's greatest art institutions; The Slade School of Fine Art and The Royal Academy of Art, Hamawi is highly skilled and the intricate detail in his work reflects this. There is also a hint of the surreal to his chosen subjects; from the windmill in the Mara landscape to the Impala with the Nairobi skyline behind them, to the eerie quality of the smooth barked trees, all reflect a magical quality.

Erick Shitawa Sande is a less well known, though a much established Kenyan artist who has been active since 1995. Trained in graphics at Kenya Polytechnic his works display an instantly recognisable tangle of subject matter. Symbols, architecture, humans and animals all compete for space. All are rendered in bright acrylic turned with significant amounts of white, the works are a fascinating commentary on everyday life in Kenya with everything from the action of the 'World Food Program in Yatta' to 'Lactating Mothers', from 'Entebbe picturesque' to 'Kanamai Shopping Center' being the focus of the compositions.

Sophie Walbeoffe is one of Kenya's most successful artists. Now showing regularly in both London and Dubai she also has a growing international following. In this exhibition she returns to some of her favourite subjects; Camels, a seascape and a still life. All her work displays her wonderful brushwork (she paints simultaneously with a brush in each hand) and with the still life in particular the rendering is in gorgeous, mouth watering colours.

Richard Kimathi once again exhibits new work; 'Empty shows' explores the dynamics of political protest whilst 'Bubbles' effectively explores the intricacies of human relationships. Both works are mixed media on canvas with Kimathi's characteristic canvas cut outs pasted to yet more canvas. Arguably one of the leading artists in the region, Kimathi never disappoints with the quality of his exquisite painting.

Lastly, the show will feature works by the Sudanese 'Super star', Rashid Diab. The works exhibited are typical of Diab's latest theme of brightly veiled women stepping in and out of different 'planes'. Or could these be time zones? Or realities? Or could they indeed be passing from life to death?  Diab may as well be exploring the fate of migrants?  The price tag on these works is contextualized by his works currently selling in the middle East for five figure dollar sums!

Preview of Works

Click thumbnail to enlarge and scroll through all images
Join our Mailing List
Contact Us
Copyright © 2022 One Off Contemporary Art Gallery. All Rights Reserved. 
  • Home
  • About
    • One Off
    • One Off Team
  • Artists
    • Exclusive Artists
    • Associated Artists
  • Exhibitions
    • Timothy Brooke Memorial Exhibition
    • At Artcaffe
    • About Sankara >
      • Sankara Exhibition Archive
    • Exhibition Archive
  • Sculpture Garden
  • Visit
  • Purchase
    • Collectors
  • Media
    • Press
    • Video - artists in their workspaces
    • Video Archive
  • Contact