Frontiers of the Present – Exploring New Ideas in Photography

Circle Art Gallery’s next exhibition “Frontiers of the Present” is curated by James Muriuki and features work by 10 contemporary artists. Opening on Wednesday, September 21, 2016, this will be the gallery’s first exclusively photographic exhibition.

“Frontiers of the Present” featured artists include: Guillaume Bonn, Aron Boruya, Tahir Karmali, Joel Lukhovi, Julian Manjahi, Barbara Minishi, Paul Munene, Bob Muchiri Njenga, Ray Piwi Ochieng and Sarah Waiswa.

"We are excited to be working with James Muriuki to present a photography exhibition for the first time at Circle. We want to encourage our collectors to consider the importance of acquiring contemporary photography in this region, lens based media is being widely collected internationally and we want to share this in Nairobi. "

Danda Jaroljmek

"As we know it today, photography has been with us for close to two hundred years now, and while this may seem a long time, it has only undergone a few major transitions of technique and essence. It is much a product of the industrial triumphs of the nineteenth century as many other tools. Once the basic principle of its workings were defined (the pin hole focusing light onto a plane), it has only been the refinement of those principles that have been taking place for a long time, with various photographers, artists and other professionals going back and forth within the space of its genesis and now. Within this space, it has gone through a metamorphosis in technique and aesthetics, meaning and reach. It has spread across social cultural constraints rendering it a medium of representation, expression, exploration, documentation, destruction, instruction, trade and so many other uses.

In varying combination of the attributes I imply above, theso-called emerging economies have experienced their share of influence, which in the past has been dominated by photography concerning journalism, tourism, evangelism and other “isms”. These genres have established themselves strongly in the mainstream and in many ways limited and bound their audience’s, and subjects’ articulation of their visual self if not more. It is necessary to be aware that the world of photography is as an ecosystem within the arts and beyond and each of its manifestations is as important as the other. The exhibition presented here considers the frontiers of the present in that exploration of photography. "

James Muriuki

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