My first details from the recently concluded Njabala research and networking trip to Kenya will feature the indomitable Syowia Kyambi, a Nairobi based artist. “Syowia Kyambi (b. Nairobi) is an interdisciplinary artist and curator who works across photography, video, drawing, sound, sculpture and performance installation…Rooted in her practice is a deep connection with the land, the earth and the idea of home” – SyowiaKyambi.com.

I have known the work of Syowia Kyambi for some time now. I first encountered her work in April 2016 at Makerere Art Gallery in the Kabbo Ka Muwala exhibition curated by Raphael Chikukwa. Katrin Peters-Klaphake and Ingmar Lähnemann. Later that year I met Syowia’s work at 32 Degrees East where she was part of the (Re)Thinking Feminism and Black Womanhood workshop alongside eight other artists and writers. In 2019, Syowia’s work was part of the Kampala edition of FAVT (Future Africa Visions in Time) which I curated at Makerere Art Gallery on invitation by the core curators Nadine Siegert and Katharina Fink.

Despite the above-mentioned encounters with Syowia’s work, I never got a chance to meet her in person - to understand or at least attempt to discover how she goes about her days with intention and creativity. Since we are starting something new with Njabala, I thought it fitting to engage the mind of Syowia, to talk, exchange, listen but also introduce Njabala to her since her practice reasonates with our work.Syowia was kind to show me around her studio and Untethered Magic – a space looking to support the process and the ephemeral. We also shared through her books, food, thoughts, living space, and art.