Mbuthia Maina visits Gor Soudan art studio, Kibera

Aun imprendo… (I am still learning…) Goya- Spanish 17th century artist Just a few years ago, before Gor Soudan was Gor Soudan, he was a fala fella with a fala name (hard to remember now) that easily betrayed his West Kenya heritage. All that is changed -now and he is an almost young and happy contemporary Nairobi artist. One thing, though, still stands between him and Nairobi-style neo-modernist utopia. Cfc-constant flow of cash…loads of it required. It especially shows after he arrives rugged and wet from riding his bike in the rain for an hour or so all the way from yet another western Nairobi art space to attend the opening of yet another blockbuster exhibition by what even he himself calls a big artist. “Cheki man,” he implores.” There I was to day at this fancy opening in that fancy neighbourhood for that fancy artist and guess who else was there? The rich artists…of course with their big cars… as in, sinilijipata buda?” Quite ironical when you chew a bit on it since I believe it’s just a matter of short notice before Gor and the rest of the biker boys-Okello, Denno, Walala, Sido, Joni, Kindeh, (and girls?-Max Mason) will be asked to join the ranks of the rich and pampered artists. Yet another young and upcoming artist will necessarily take up the bickering am sure. I am going to try and tell you why even he himself thinks he has it made.I am not sure but it seems like Gor Soudan has already held at least three solo exhibitions in almost as many years. And all in leading spaces.His current show at the Talisman must only add to his already impressive short exhibition history. This must be as much a feat of his great mental stamina and burning ambition as it is a show of the mastery of his erstwhile mentor and friend Jimmy Ogonga -the guy who Gor says gave him a crash course about this here business of art. Jimmy himself learned from the best-from Kaigwa, to Burnet, from Ogira, to Aghan, from Njami, to Okwi and countless other masters of the trade. There’s a whole lot of differences between Jimmy and Gor .The most glaring two are that Jimmy never changed his name and hasn’t produced a body of work in almost a decade unless you’d like to mention maybe writing some articles and blogs. Yet Gor churns out series after series of ground breaking work and then follows up with a marketing system (it means-politely hustling potential customers with your smart phone) that only Justus Kyalo can compete with. It’s seems to work most of the time. I myself, a self confessed technology non-liker, I am envious as hell. Y’know, tis like opening a child’s piggy bank. Since Gor moved studio to Kibera a few months ago, I have had the opportunity to spend lots of afternoon and evening hours in his studio-to see him make work, to talk, to listen to reggae music, or Andrew’s loony loops, to wait out a political skirmish two streets away, to make ugali, and sometimes to sit silent for long spells waiting for electric power to come back. A certain ancient Chinese philosopher used to teach that you could never cross the same river twice since it will have changed by the time you return and so will have you. How so true of Gor Soudan and his studio practice. Half his studio is right now taken up by a tangled black mass of thin strips of wire salvaged from burnt tyres from a street away from the studio. Apparently, rioting youths had blocked the road by the bank using burning tyres to dispute inter-party nomination election results. So that’s where the wire came from. In the same vein he is currently collecting dozens of discarded political campaign caps as well as campaign posters. This work is all too new and will not feature largely in the current exhibition but please expect a number of nests, a mask and one of the human figures .Maybe even two of those, even he was not sure last time I checked. He feels a bit possessive about those since several visitors to the studio have already shown a keen interest in purchasing them. The rest of the exhibition is really a selection from his past exhibitions. Some angry birds are a must, plus the large black and white human figures on carton paper, the large black wiry anthropomorphic figures also on carton paper will make this show too not to forget a series of little paintings of black human-like figures on white carton paper. I also saw for the first time, although they are not new either, a series of medium sized animal paintings on recycled cement bags. They are my favourite largely because they are the most polychromatic yet they painted in rich earthly hues so they look vey muted at first instance till you give them ample attention. I expect the presentation to be exquisite since Gor has for days before the exhibition opening had been running circles around a certain master framer at Kuona Trust. The refreshed design at the Talisman will bring out the work to great effect. Gor Soudan, a solo exhibition of previous and new work is open everyday at the Talisman till the fifth of next month. Please bring a friend. Mbuthia Maina Kibera 20-04-2013