NCAI

NCAI Established in 2020, the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI) is a non-profit visual art space dedicated to the growth of contemporary art in East Africa.

As a safety precaution in light of the ongoing protests and traffic disruptions, the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute ...
18/05/2026

As a safety precaution in light of the ongoing protests and traffic disruptions, the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute will remain closed today, Monday, 18th May.

We hope to reopen tomorrow, Tuesday, 19th May, at 10:00 AM.

This Saturday, 16th May, at 2 PM, Peterson Kamwathi is joined by Jonathan Sölanke Gathaara Fraser, for an artist talk pr...
14/05/2026

This Saturday, 16th May, at 2 PM, Peterson Kamwathi is joined by Jonathan Sölanke Gathaara Fraser, for an artist talk presented within the context of ‘Tabula Rasa,' Kamwathi’s ongoing exhibition at the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute, exploring the ideas, processes, and themes that shape both the exhibition and Kamwathi’s wider artistic practice.

In his practice, Peterson Kamwathi attends to various communal, social, economic and cultural stances within contemporary society. He explores physical presence, modes of behaviour, embedded symbolisms, latent meanings and forming identities that are present in, and can be deduced from human groupings, social customs and collective political/religious patterns.

Kamwathi’s work has been exhibited in numerous venues around the world, and he was part of the Kenya national pavilion at the 57th Edition of the Venice Biennale in 2017. He has also participated in the Young Congo Biennale 2019 in Kinshasa, Congo DRC and the 8th edition of the Ake Arts and Book Festival, Lagos, in 2020. His work is included in collections of the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI), Safaricom, the British Museum, Bates College of Art Museum, the East African Visual Arts Trust collection, and the World Bank Headquarters, among others. He lives in Limuru, Kenya

Entry to the talk is free. Please RSVP via this link: http://nairobicontemporaryartinstitute.artsvp.com/304b94?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=ap_h21woupdc8
A Kenyan sign language interpreter will also be present for the session.

This Saturday, 16th May, at 2 PM, Jonathan Sölanke Gathaara Fraser, a multidisciplinary artist working across various me...
12/05/2026

This Saturday, 16th May, at 2 PM, Jonathan Sölanke Gathaara Fraser, a multidisciplinary artist working across various media, joins Peterson Kamwathi for an artist talk presented within the context of ‘Tabula Rasa,' Kamwathi’s ongoing exhibition at the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute.

The conversation will explore the ideas, processes, and themes that shape both the exhibition and Kamwathi’s wider artistic practice.

Fraser studied Fine Art at Kenyatta University. In 2021, his first solo exhibition, 'There Is A Time and A Place,' was held at Circle Art Gallery, Nairobi. His second solo presentation with the gallery, 'The Past Will Be Like The Future,' took place in 2025. He has also shown work in numerous group exhibitions, notable among them 2025’s 'Notes on Friendship: Breaking Bread,' a group show organized jointly by the Nairobi Contemporary Arts Institute (NCAI, Kenya) and Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art, Tamale (SCCA, Ghana).
In 2023, Fraser was an artist in residence at 32º East, Uganda and in 2025 was an artist in residence at Gleis70, Zurich facilitated by Pro Helvetia the Swiss Arts Council.

In Fraser’s words, “The human body and how to experience oneself in the world has been central to my work. The body—my body—is the first point of departure from my impulses, gestures and curiosities as well as a channel that introduces these same elements into the artwork I produce. Working across various media is a means for me to pay careful and (especially) caring attention to my environment. My practice is primarily process driven and incorporates drawing, printmaking, audio-visual work, and writing. I am deeply invested in our relationships to time, to the natural world of which we are a part and, as well, how craft engages with these notions by negotiating the body with material substance."

Entry to the talk is free. Please RSVP via this link: http://nairobicontemporaryartinstitute.artsvp.com/304b94?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=ap_gdilxdqof5

The Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI) is participating in the Biennale Arte 2026, marking a significant moment f...
05/05/2026

The Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI) is participating in the Biennale Arte 2026, marking a significant moment for East African art on the global stage.

Everything the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI) does is oriented towards a single purpose: to preserve and promote contemporary art in East Africa and make it freely available to the communities that we serve.

That endeavour is inseparable from a set of material realities. Despite the vitality of artistic production in this region, many significant works have remained absent from public view or have left East Africa – acquired by collectors and institutions in Europe, North America and beyond. NCAI has built its permanent collection in response, recovering works not merely as objects but as records of an artistic culture that deserves to be encountered in its original context.

The eight paintings from the NCAI Collection on view in the Biennale Arte 2026 were made between 1950 and 1984.



Artwork Details
Charles Mukiibi
The Arrest, 1966
Oil on canvas
84 x 61 cm

Join us on Saturday, 16th May at 2 PM at NCAI for an Artist Talk featuring Peterson Kamwathi in conversation with Jonath...
05/05/2026

Join us on Saturday, 16th May at 2 PM at NCAI for an Artist Talk featuring Peterson Kamwathi in conversation with Jonathan Fraser.

Presented within the context of 'Tabula Rasa,' Kamwathi’s ongoing exhibition, the discussion will explore the ideas, processes, and themes that shape both the show and his wider artistic practice.

Guests will also have the opportunity to engage directly through a Q&A session.

A sign language interpreter will be present to support accessibility.

Entry is free. RSVP via this link: https://nairobicontemporaryartinstitute.artsvp.com/304b94?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=ap_ebj80n8g3s

In observance of Labour Day, the gallery will remain closed tomorrow, 1st May 2026.We will reopen on Saturday, 2nd May, ...
30/04/2026

In observance of Labour Day, the gallery will remain closed tomorrow, 1st May 2026.
We will reopen on Saturday, 2nd May, from 10:00 AM.

See you then!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the opening reception of 'Tabula Rasa,' Peterson Kamwathi’s first major solo ins...
27/04/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the opening reception of 'Tabula Rasa,' Peterson Kamwathi’s first major solo institutional exhibition. Your presence made the evening unforgettable and set the tone for a remarkable celebration of art and community.

The exhibition will remain on view until 23 August 2026, and we warmly invite you to visit, or return, to spend more time with the works and experience them more deeply.

Here are a few moments from a memorable evening.

Patrick Mukabi was more than an extraordinary artist; he was a pillar of Kenya’s contemporary art scene whose bold visua...
25/04/2026

Patrick Mukabi was more than an extraordinary artist; he was a pillar of Kenya’s contemporary art scene whose bold visual language and commitment to mentorship shaped generations of creatives. Celebrated for his powerful depictions of everyday life and the human form, his work carried warmth, dignity, and unmistakable originality. Beyond the canvas, he gave generously of his knowledge, nurturing countless emerging artists and helping build the creative community we know today.

We honour his immense contribution to art, culture, and education, and celebrate a legacy that will continue to inspire for years to come. Rest in peace, Patrick Mukabi.

Image courtesy of NMG

Join us this Saturday, 25th April, from 2 pm for the opening of ‘Tabula Rasa’, Peterson Kamwathi’s first major instituti...
20/04/2026

Join us this Saturday, 25th April, from 2 pm for the opening of ‘Tabula Rasa’, Peterson Kamwathi’s first major institutional solo exhibition and his first such exhibition in Nairobi.

Spanning drawing, printmaking, sculpture, video, and a site-specific wall drawing, the exhibition centres drawing as a way of thinking, a way of looking that is never passive.

Through layered images, shifting between clarity and obscurity, Kamwathi questions what is remembered, what is erased, and who decides. The everyday becomes monumental; the overlooked, charged with history.

In this exhibition, Kamwathi offers something more valuable than resolution: a set of images precise enough to slow us down, and open enough to let us look again.

Entry is FREE.
RSVP via this link: https://nairobicontemporaryartinstitute.artsvp.com/72d4a5

The exhibition will be on view until Sunday, 23 August 2026.

The Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI) invites you to a conversation with Jean-Marie Gallais (curator of the Pina...
18/04/2026

The Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI) invites you to a conversation with Jean-Marie Gallais (curator of the Pinault Collection) on Tuesday, 21st April, from 10:30 am. The venue of the talk will be communicated to the participants.

In this conversation, he will talk about curatorial practice and share stories, lessons and learnings from his experience as the curator of one of the most pre-eminent institutions in the contemporary art world.

Jean-Marie Gallais (1987, France) is an art historian and curator. Trained at Ecole du Louvre and EHESS (School for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences) in Paris, he has worked in several public and private institutions such as Centre Pompidou, Centre Pompidou-Metz, and he is curator at Pinault Collection since 2022. He has curated exhibitions of the work of Etel Adnan, Ali Cherri, Mike Kelley, Victor Man, Thomas Schütte and Lee Ufan, as well as themed exhibitions such as "Night Painting", “Folklore”, “The Inner Island” and « The World as it Goes ». He is the curator of the exhibitions “Michael Armitage. The Promise of Change” and “Amar Kanwar. Co-travellers” currently on view at Palazzo Grassi in Venice, Italy – one of the three museums of Pinault Collection.

This talk is open to anyone interested in the arts, artists, curators, and students. No previous experience in any form of creative expression is required to attend this talk.
Spaces are limited; sign up via the link in bio to secure a spot.

Portrait credit: Irene de Rosen

In observance of Good Friday, the gallery will remain closed tomorrow, 3rd April 2026.We will reopen on Saturday, 4th Ap...
02/04/2026

In observance of Good Friday, the gallery will remain closed tomorrow, 3rd April 2026.

We will reopen on Saturday, 4th April from 10:00 AM.

Please note that we will also be open on Sunday, 5th April, from noon, as this will be the final day to experience the current exhibition, 'Michael Armitage, Maria Lassnig, Chelenge Van Rampelberg.'

See you then!

Address

Nairobi
00100

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10:00 - 19:00
Wednesday 11:00 - 19:00
Thursday 11:00 - 19:00
Friday 11:00 - 19:00
Saturday 11:00 - 19:00
Sunday 11:00 - 19:00

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