Sharjah24: Upcycling and Do-it-yourself (DIY) crafts are the rage now. Kenyan photographer Thandiwe Muriu has skillfully used waste matter to create accessories that celebrate black womanhood and portrayed them in a collection of stunning photographs at Xposure 2024, the region’s largest celebration of photography, film and other mediums of visual arts running until March 5 in Expo Centre Sharjah.
An Instagram celebrity with 982,000 followers, Muriu’s works have been selected as part of the Global Focus Project from Africa. The “Global Focus Project” was launched in March 2023 as an initiative by Xposure International Photography Festival to celebrate the unique perspectives and stories told by photographers from all corners of the world. The programme identifies and selects an outstanding male and female photographer from the continents of Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Oceania. The 31-year-old Muriu is among the 12 photographers invited to Sharjah and awarded for their work and contributions to the field of photography.
The photographs on display capture African women in bright costumes characteristic of the continent sporting glasses made from sink strainers, hair rollers, cookie moulds, torches, pastry cutters, tissue papers, shoe polish, beads and earrings. There is also a young girl in a green outfit wearing earrings made from bright pink bottle caps. The women are dressed in the same fabric as their background, giving surreal illusions that are not digitally manipulated but a product of Muriu’s photographic genius.
They blend in but at the same time stand out, which is Muriu’s attempt “to redefine female empowerment through the application of her choice of materials, such as fabric and common household items”.
The visuals, accompanied by African proverbs accompanying the captions, convey the emotions and spirit of Africa and its people. In “A Love Letter to Myself”, the proverb is “A little rain each day will fill the rivers to overflowing”, helping the audience relate to the mood and cultural landscape of the continent. The series of images have now been brought out in book form titled Camo.
Muriu, born and raised in Nairobi, is a self-taught photographer and reportedly the only female photographer operating in the advertising photography industry in Kenya.
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