She is perhaps one of the biggest rising stars in Kenya's visual arts industry. In some circles they laud her as the next Wangechi Mutu — multi-talented Kenyan-American visual artist, known primarily for her painting, sculpture, film, and performance work.
But to Florence Wangui, all else apart from art is pure razzmatazz; she is here to paint, etch her mark mostly with oil-based colours and depart.
A Florence Wangui painting will always find itself in every other high-end conversation about art.
There is a seasoned meticulousness to her portraits, all of which are figurative tales of personal histories. Florence in a nutshell paints with the maturity of a sage, but with the freedom and uppity vibe of a playful kitten, her freedom to be expressive forms the core foundation of her murals.
In primary school, her paintings would stick out from her peers. In high school, she would draw diagrams for the biology teacher courtesy of her knack for the fine detail in sketches. After high school, she was called for a Bsc In Biochemistry and Zoology.
“It is very related to art. Contrary to perspective, I love science. I picked art and decentered from science but I haven’t lost the fascination for it. My spirit was just more aligned toward art in an inert way. I would tell God that I want to do art and in an uncanny way, everything aligned according to script” she says.
Her story starts with Patrick Mukabi at the Godown Arts Centre. Mukabi eased her into what she considers as a primary nature of her personality; art.
She didn’t know much about art but she remembers reading about Patrick Mukabi and Richard Onyango in a Sunday Nation feature aticle. She considers them as the lighthouse to her craft.
“Mukabi used to share his space with students and anyone who was interested in doing art for free. That was what I was looking for because back then, I didn’t know anyone else who was doing art.”
Art was perfectly succinct for Florence who considers herself as a liberal soul. A 9-5 with the rigmarole of structure, she says, would cinder her bones.
“If I was in formal employment, I would be stuck in a place which allows me to be the influence of my decisions without regard to how it would impact the institution.”
Her art journey has been a path of discovery which entailed skittling across different medium, from charcoal, to oil on canvas, a process she humbly accepts as learning, a close confidant for her.
“I believe that one learns until you rest. You are always a student in art. As an artist, you should never get to a point of comfort. I have taught art before and the more I teach, the more I know, learn and become. It is a revelation, learning is always in layers, there are new things to discover, deeper meanings to uncover, you can never call yourself a master, maybe people can but you can't yourself. The more you think you know, he more you discover you don’t.”
Art,in an intrinsic sense, is elemental to Florence. For her art is a part of life.
Ghost in the Machine Oil on canvas artwork by Florence Wangui on display at the KOFISI Art Gallery in Nairobi on July 10, 2025.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
“It helps people understand themselves and the world around them. Most artist somehow are able to articulate things that happen inside and outside of them. They take things from outside and vomit them inside themselves. They relate things in either a harsher or softer way, they shape the way we perceive the world by way of highlight. Art is challenging, but it is easier than most professions,” she says.
Her work stems from deep research through reading and looking at the world around her. She considers the latter as fundamental.
“As an artist, you have to look at faces, you have to scour angles, you are always observing the world around you in a different light. It is always for your mind wherever you go. It is like prayer, you are always in it consciously or unconsciously.”
At the current KOFISI pop up exhibition, her paintings' price range is in the millions of shillings, an oblivious subject to Florence, she has an attitude that detaches itself from attention.
“I am introvert but I have also made decisions to clear myself from social media. I don’t interact much with people and if I do, I prefer it face to face. I centre myself away from too much noise. I don’t like any outside influence to what I create. My spirituality prefers humility and not in a self-degrading way like a rug. You cannot claim humility, it is a path you stay on. My motivation is to be lowkey in a good way. I just want to share what I have, that is all.”
Sitting transition II Oil on canvas artwork by Florence Wangui on display at the KOFISI Art Gallery in Nairobi on July 10, 2025.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
Florence also tinkers with sculpturing and has a barrage of works under her wings. Her range stems from her belief that art, in whichever form, will always marry into each other.
“Sculpturing and painting complement each other. I believe that knowing other media helps in sharpening an artist more. Most artists prefer acrylics over oil but I prefer oil more because it is freer than other media. Range across different media is a form of learning which inadvertently sharpens you. Your mind is complex, it will never get enough knowledge. If I find something that takes me into a different direction to learn, I will always take it.”
With Florence, you get the privilege of witnessing refinement and perfection from a young soul. Her understanding of warm colours and feminine figures is exceptional. One would well consider her as a blockbuster filmed in a dull sepia. Her style bleeds in between hyper realistic and expressionism but it is expressionism that takes the upper hand for the mere ability to convey raw emotions.
“Expressions reel me in, any symbolic work is an inspiration. I like looking at things that have more to draw from.”
Whereas women encompass most of her murals, Florence says this is not intentional.
“Because I am usually expressing myself, I feel like this should be a norm because I am a woman. It is easier to express myself as a woman. I think it is more of a perspective thing, nothing woke,” she says.
Gifted as she is, Florence still rolls around the path of self-discovery. Her workshop is littered with unfinished paintings that she hopes to get done. At the end of the month however, one of her paintings will be featured in an upcoming show by Beatrice Wangui.
Her next project navigates around loss, love and pain/fear, which will involve charcoal drawings.
