Adrian Nduma is a gifted contemporary African visual artist, whose works are sought-after across the world.
The Kenyan-born artist made history as the first African artist to run Bonzo Gallery, a well-patronized gallery and a successful studio in a hotel.
In this interview, on the sideline of Magical Kenya Travel Expo 2024, with Obinna Emelike at Diamonds Leisure Beach & Golf Resort, Diani, Kenya, Nduma speaks on why he left his MBA programme and well-paid banking job for art, his passion, his work, impact of hotel environment on patronage and appreciation of his work, mentorship, among other related issues.
Can you take us to your world?
Yes, I will be very glad to do that. My name is Adrian Nduma. I am a professional Kenyan artist. I have been active as a full-time artist for 20 years now.
How do you describe your art?
My art is simple. It is a record of what I see around me; retrospection and anything that has aesthetic appeal to me, I put it down, draw or paint on canvas.
But most importantly, I have to record what is intrinsic and for granted, put it on a canvas and display it. At the end, it will speak to somebody to then appreciate the small things that we take for granted, yet many others are going to see the value in them.
It seems you major in painting?
Yes, I am primarily a painter. I don’t do sculpture, though I studied Ceramics in university. I did not pursue it further for some reasons.
I got into advertising pretty early and even in the days of college I got used to illustrating books because of the industry experience I had earlier. I got used to the 2D, specifically I got used to acrylics as opposed to oil paint just because they don’t smell and I had problems with the oils, sniffing and all that then.
It is something I like to keep simple so that I don’t over question myself why not sculpture or try other media of artistic expressions.
Again, I can’t do everything. I rather do one thing and be good at it. I have seen even from my days in school that I enjoyed painting.
Did you have formal training or are you self-taught?
Apart from my passion, I am a trained artist. I studied here in Kenya. I went to Saint Peters Upper Primary School in Gembu. I studied Education Fine Art at Kenyatta University. So, I am an Art teacher by training. After college I did a bit of teaching, but I just did not like the life of a teacher. I got into advertising after that, which is a bit more exciting because you play with a lot of creative ideas, planning TV commercials and others in the media world.
From advertising, I had a small break for a few months before I got into banking. I was a banker for five years.
But instead of going for a Masters in Art Education, I enrolled for a Masters in Business Management (MBA). Funny enough, after finishing all my coursework and ready to do my dissertation at the University of Nairobi, my last unit was Entrepreneurship and it opened my eyes to go back to my first love. So, I quit the MBA programme and my banking job and jumped into art.
The reason I did not finish is because I saw a trap of getting caught up in quoting MBA on my call card and wanting to get recognitions and promotions in the corporate world and then continuing in employment, banking or any other organisations because I majored in Strategic Management.
So, I quit my job then at Commercial Bank of Africa, now NCBA via email.
I remembered at my exit dinner how people were asking me are you really sure? How do you quit banking to go into art, do you think you can draw to make a living? But I was convinced.
I remember doing a business plan and I needed some amount of money, which I did not have, then at the same time I got to read the stories of Bill Gates and the rest and I realised that a business plan is the thing that will keep you from starting business because it shows you all the reasons you should not start until all the lights are green.
I made that decision and today I am happy that I am right. It has its challenges but I keep navigating them successfully.
How has it been since quitting your well-paid banking job for art?
It has been a good story since then. It has been 20 years now because I quit banking in 2004. There is a bit of challenge but I had and I still have the drive to push my craft to the limit. I have done many works commissioned by top people.
Prince Yemisi Shyllon from Nigeria came to one of my exhibitions at the National Museum of Kenya and noted that I was the first Kenya he has ever collected his work.
He also noted that many artists run away from studying colour harmony and all that and jump into abstract art, which does not have methodology. He was impressed and even invited me to do a residency in Nigeria, but I couldn’t because I had other commitments, but other Kenyans took that opportunity.
I have done some work for Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic Airlines. My land painting hangs in his main boardroom. I have done paintings for Uhuru Kenyatta, former president of Kenya. Two of my paintings are sitting at the entrance of the State House, which is the official residence of the president and four are sitting at the office of the First Lady, which is in the same building. I have done quite a bit.
Also, Lord Michael Hastings of the UK has some of my works in his rich collections. I have done a lot of exhibitions in and outside the country. It is a worthwhile risk I took to quit banking for the arts.
Why did you choose to run your studio in a hotel?
Bonzo Gallery, here in the resort, is both an art gallery and my studio.
It is my studio, but I have another studio in town. I came here because Covid-19 happened and most people were not coming into my space in Nairobi.
So, I had to relocate to a remote place, just a few kilometers away, but I am still in the Nairobi metropolis.
Then I have to look for opportunities, where apart from having a studio, I can have a gallery in a location where I can get customers, good display space, good lighting and all that.
After closer examination and talking to a couple of friends I came here at Diamonds Leisure Beach & Golf Resort, Diani , to set it up. I threw the proposal to the hotel management, how I am going to pay and they approved it. As soon as I started, I got people coming here, sales and patronage picked up.
This resort environment is not only a good place to meet customers, but to also do my own thing because it is a studio at the same time.
It is an independent company in the shopping arcade of the Diamond Beach Resort, Diani.
What has been your experience here?
I have been here for a year and six months and patronage has been good.
The gallery is in a resort where tourists visit for holiday and there is low and high season in tourism and you expect a bit more activities during the high season.
But because the resort offers a lot of conferencing facilities and their locals also do a bit of tourism, we still get people within the low season because art is not a fast moving consumer product, it is luxury and people will buy for vanity reasons among other things.
But I only wish that they will buy it for its true worth and value, which means really jumping with the paintings and experiencing what the artist was experiencing while painting it or even asking questions to understand the intricate value of the piece of art and why it had been made.
We are slowly getting there, but my conviction as an artist is that in this part of the continent we are still lagging in appreciation of art.
I blame it on the system and damage caused by colonialism.
How do you get inspiration to draw?
My motivation comes from self-expression. But most importantly, I am motivated by the beautiful things I see around me, which many people take for granted, yet their aesthetic value is just value like any other value. A lot of people will ride on aesthetic value to create other values.
The moment you can dig deeper and appreciate things around you that have aesthetic value, then that value will become obvious.
That is what I am doing now by putting them on canvas for you to see and appreciate. It is like focusing a camera on something small that you thought will never have value.
So, the moment you magnify it, it focuses better and people see it in a different light.
The condition of the Kenyan mind, and by extension, African mind, is most times very scattered to even notice the immediate and fortnight things of value that are surrounding us. These are the things I am bringing to focus with my art.
Does pricing in Dollars mean that your works are targeted at foreigners?
No, it is because the American Dollar is universally accepted. I also couldn’t use the Kenyan Shillings because a lot of visitors in the hotel are outsiders and they understand the dollar better. But you can buy Kenyan Shillings as well. It is our money and it is very much acceptable.
Are your works still affordable for Kenyans?
Yes, they are very affordable for my people. The Dollar and Shillings thing is just about the currency, but the value of the art is the same. So, if a work is $200, just multiply by the rate.
Are there people you are mentoring in art?
I am just over a year here in Diani. But I did mentorship with a lot of young people when I was in Nairobi. I provided a space where they worked and a lot of them are doing well today.
I think mentorship is automatic. It happens not by design or plan and things just fall in place.
Somebody graduated, comes to you to learn one or two skills, that is mentorship. A group will come and ask questions and you school them on one technique or the other. That is also mentorship. So, it is not really formalized, I don’t believe in formalized mentorship because a fresher can be more serious at learning and make more impact afterwards than someone who has been with you for months.
Do you subscribe to hosting exhibitions?
Yes. I have had solo exhibitions, especially in Nairobi. I had a joint one in China and another in Zanzibar. I have had my works displayed in the UK, in a private exhibition, as well as in the US.
I have found myself in the place of improving my art, working with a lot of collectors as well as referrals.
What is the highest price your painting has sold?
My highest grossing work was titled, ‘The Acquittal of Uhuru Kenyatta’. It was priced at 3.5 million Shillings, but was sold for 2.9 million Shillings. As at the exchange rate then, it was approximately $30,000.
How do you see art in Africa, is the industry truly growing?
Yes, it is. But it is not just about art, but consciousness. I am excited about this space. First, the Nigerians have always been ahead in this matter and their music has ushered the African consciousness into international cuisines, from art, music, film, theatre and the rest.
So, I see visual art growing slowly, but it will have impacts. It still has a lot of impacts right now people like El Anatsui, celebrated Ghanaian sculptor, Ibrahim Mahama, Bruce Onobrakpaye, who has some works in the old museum, among other leading lights, have made global impacts with their works. A lot of people are coming up and I am particularly inspired by the West Africans and Ethiopians, they are doing great things. Even as artists, when you look at the lifestyle of some of these artists, you can tell, they are making an impact. To that end, I feel that the sky is limited. We are in a great time now in African art. I feel Nigerian music in particular, is slowly ushering everybody into African consciousness and appreciation of the continent’s creativity and heritage.Adrian Nduma is a gifted contemporary African visual artist, whose works are sought-after across the world.Adrian Nduma is a gifted contemporary African visual artist, whose works are sought-after across the world.
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