Self Select in Nairobi
On the streets of central Nairobi, the artist approaches a stranger, chosen at random, in halting Swahili and asks to exchange clothing—exactly as it is. The particular dress of a particular group plays a role even more important than language in distinguishing “us” from “them.” In a city where people wearing many different cultures and identities coexist, this project reworks, through its own methodology, the way communication arises and unfolds. The results of this attempt were presented as a photo exhibition at a local eatery in Nairobi and were covered by Kenyan newspapers and television.
Details
Performance Dates: March 12 (Thu) – 17 (Tue), 2009 Location: Various streets in central Nairobi Exhibition 1 Date: March 19 (Thu), 2009 Venue: New Mos Mos Cafe Exhibition 2 Dates: April 15 (Wed) – May 16 (Sun), 2009 Venue: Rahimtulla Museum of Modern Art (RaMoMA) Artist: Yoshinari Nishio Project Management: Sakiko Nishio Coordination: Habert Simon Ayieng, Linda Abbah Dinda, Sauti Haji Production Assistance and Photography: Takashi Usui, Aya Takagi, Jun Uemura Organized by: Nishio Kosakusho Nairobi Branch In cooperation with: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Nairobi Research Liaison Center Cooperation: New Mos Mos Cafe, Ephraim Irangi Mukwana