I bumped into Sanaa Gateja at the exhibition It Resonates, showing at Ngara’s Creative District until October 4. I noticed him when he moved to the barkcloth to fix a piece of beadwork on one of his creations, which he reckons must have been pulled by mistake. The fixed glue he is using does not work, so he sends for another one before taking me around his works at the exhibition.
One of his pieces, The Queen Arrives, enthrals, more so because you have to figure out the sinews and tapestry to make sense of it. Taken as a photograph on a phone, you instantly pick out the figurines in the assembly of beads and small colourful balls, all stitched on barkcloth.
“The Queen Arrives”(2023), paper beads on barkcloth by Sanaa Gateja, on display at the “It Resonates” exhibition, Heltz House in Ngara on September 20, 2025.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
There are a few other pieces from the exhibition that immediately capture the essence of its theme. Like Gateja’s Aralianceae Growth(Inner Garden), Emo de Medeiros’ For the Black Phoenix Shall Rise, and Martin Jakaila’s Hidden Depths and Nature’s Palette. Perhaps because they are easier to decipher in light of the meaning they evoke.
Others like Safaa Erruas’ Les Murmurs and her Ink series or Temandrota’s mixed medium artworks require a little more gazing into to get your own interpretation of the same. There is, no subtlety in the way the nine exhibiting artists infused the themes of sustainability and climate in their pieces.
There was a wonderful array of materials used, most of them indigenous, honouring the natural elements of the countries where the artists come from.
Indeed, Saffa Erruas’ Le Continent, with its thin suspended metal wires connected with a cloth to map out the African continent, led the way in realising the beauty and diversity of the artworks represented.
The exhibition is conceptualised and curated by London-based 50 Goldborn Art in collaboration with Liminal Space and The Station. Celebrating their 10th year since the gallery first opened, this is their first exhibition in Kenya.
Pascale Revert, founder, notes that “exhibiting in Nairobi for the first time is an important step for 50 Goldborn in engaging directly in a trans-African dialogue.”
He notes that the gallery recognises Nairobi’s global relevance and Kenya’s already developing potential as a leading model green country.
An art enthusiast admires works at the “It Resonates” exhibition at Heltz House, Ngara, on September 20, 2025.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
An example cited is that 80 percent of electricity generated in the country comes from zero-carbon sources. Initially presented in June as a private event during the TED Global Countdown Summit Climate initiative), the exhibition is now open to the public.
The nine artists exhibiting are Chemu Ng’ok, Joseph Kamaru and Martin Jakaila (Kenya) Collin Sekajugu, Joseph Ntensibe, Gateja (Uganda) and Emo de Medeiros from Benin, Temandrota (Malagasy) and Safaa Erruas (Morocco).
While 50 Goldborn seeks out new and stimulating ideas from African contemporary artists, Gateja is clearly one of their more established artists under its stable.
In his address at the gala opening, Gateja noted that the work of artists brings together culture, creativity and community. He further shared that “the works are not images of catastrophe, but the artist's exploration of connections and transformation that fosters various forms of resilience.”
This creativity is highlighted in their pieces, with each receiving inspiration from their own communities. Temandrota’s inspiration comes from the Tandroy people of South-east Madagascar.
From them, his works incorporate cultural aspects like nomadism, meditation practices, dance and music. The local materials he uses, like earth, sisal, roots, form the elements for his paintings and sculpted works.
Gateja’s pieces represent his own engagement with sustainability and safeguarding the earth, where he uses recycled paper, which is turned into tiny conical beads. Some of his pieces, like Maid of Honour and Let’s Go Green, literally speak to the earth, a harvest, an invitation to engage with nature.
The beauty of his works is the infusion of local community. More than 30 craftswomen are engaged in his studio at any one time on various projects.
Gateja is the main creative behind the pieces, which are stitched by the women, and he is on hand to ensure the final concept comes together.
Gateja has been a friend of African Heritage for decades, and his works are on display at the national museums of Uganda and Kenya. His work is also on display at the V&A Permanent Collection in London.
“Advisors” (2025), barkcloth, polypropylene, textile, and acrylics on denim by Collin Sekajugo, on display at the “It Resonates” exhibition, Heltz House in Ngara on September 20, 2025.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
Sekajugo plays on his dual Uganda and Rwandese heritage in his works on mixed media, mainly with dual textures on cloth. His work expresses the feeling of existential angst felt by millennials in the piece Awarded and Advisors.
Questioning the idea of success among the elite, his work suggests they may have inherited issues they feel powerless to deal with, like the negative impacts of climate change.
Ng’ok’s colourful paintings promote a connection of humans to their environment that is both physical and spiritual. A holder of a Master's in Fine Art from Rhodes University, her work is receiving attention internationally, and has been included in exhibitions at ICA Milano and Miami and the New Museum Triennial in New York.
The concept of earthing or grounding has often been encouraged to allow humans to connect with the earth and rebalance the body’s electrical charge. It is also said to offer various benefits to the body, including relieving stress and improving blood circulation.
