Simple laws that Model Human Civilization

 Michael Musyoka’s exhibition reveals the guilt and shame of being judged and at the same time the repercussions of breaking the law. Moreover, the ten large paintings talk about the inhibitory nature of law- a law which impedes necessity while proclaiming individual freedoms.

Sunday 12^th and we are rising on Limuru road like a cloud headed to the cul de sac above the Red hill called Red hill Art Gallery. Hidden within the trees, I point out to my colleague, ‘there above those hills is where we are headed. I had been to the gallery in 2016 therefore I could not trust my memory. I sought Google Map, “Head Northwest for two kilometres and then take the round-about to the right.” What on earth was I hearing? I discarded the phone and brushed my rusty memory- the memory delivered. Google would have thrown me onto Redhill Road near Village Market in Nairobi.

Having arrived safely at our destination, we were ushered in by a lovely dog, despite my fear for dogs, I embraced this lovely bitch and she guided us into the arms of  Erica Musch- Rossler who guided us to the gallery claiming that the other dogs would be less friendly. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that I was with a familiar face. We headed into the gallery, breathing in the cold fresh air of Limuru while our eyes feasted on the lush green lawn and the towering trees.

Inside the L-shaped gallery we were greeted with “Time and other Constructs” ten large paintings hanging on the wall. On the outset, it is a beautiful arrangement- a kind of sacred cave with the gods of the ancients plastered on those canvases. Prayerfully and innocently they bow to show their respects. Birds flying and overstuffed Michelin boys running completes the cursory glance.

The large paintings are the masterpieces by Michael Musyoka a Nairobi based artist. Carefully sampling the pieces, one cannot notice that they are in three categories; the time series, listening to the wrong voices and punitive measures. Their arrangement is as disorganized as the art is ambiguous.

The time series can further be divided into the time servant and time. In this, the artist explores the limitation of time, how there is never enough time and how time in itself is a force against us. “Time is law, and this law limits what we can do and what we cannot do,” Michael tells me in a telephone conversation. “Everything is time bound,” he adds. Unwittingly, our conversation was delayed for almost an hour since Michael had been engaged in another ‘time bound’ assignment. The time series also looks at the passage of time, and how things change. According to Michael, Time I and II are self-portraits- “memory for when I was fat and how I viewed myself,” he said amid laughter. The portraiture are Michelin boys struggling with their own weight and to the onlooker they are healthy boys playing. However, according to Michael, they are burdened by self-doubt and self-judgment on how he appeared before others. The issue of weight weighed heavily upon him until he shaved of the extra 20Kgs!

In Time servant I and II, the subjects are on their knees heads bowed in shame and shoulder hunched, while hands crossed at the back. The silence in the paintings is oppressive and the guilt of their suffering gnaws on the viewer’s conscience. Looking at the two paintings one realizes how hard it is to administer justice and why Kenya’s political elites enjoy such massive support regardless of their murky dealings. However, it is beautiful to imagine how our corrupt leaders would look like in jail. Will they hide their faces from us and whimsically pose like those falsely accused or would they blatantly deny and hide in their tribe?

The primal urge for accused political elite in this East African country is to employ hounds from the tribe to sing the national anthem of “our tribe is being targeted.” Any wonder that the only remorse we can see is that portraits hanging on the wall.

In the series Lucifer, the first episode begins with Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis) speeding on the streets of Lo Angeles while listening to loud music. When Lucifer is stopped by a police officer, he tries to bribe his way out and using his mind tricks, get away. Fascinating enough, Lucifer gets the officer to confess that he too, breaks the law he has sworn to protect! In listening to the wrong conversation, Michael addresses the issue of following common laws. Using birds in red, yellow and white hues, spread over the canvas cascading their shadows on the ground, the BuruBuru Institute of Fine Art graduate looks at our relationship with common laws. Within the paintings are inscriptions, ‘Usikojoe Hapa” and “50KPH”- two common ignored laws in many fronts. Usikojoe hapa is a common law aimed at reckless emptying of bladder especially in highly populated areas like Nairobi City. However, “Urinating is a necessity that need not controlling,” the artist ponders. The artist does not really support peeing in every outpost but looks on larger scale the aspect of freedom which comes with what should be done and what ought not to be done. Our every aspect of life is controlled that it is easier to be on the wrong side or the law with a slight touch of the pedal than being on the right side of the law.

We strive more to remain free in a world where it is easier to be in gallows than on the street. In fact, the phrase ‘Innocent until proven guilty’ should be paraphrased to ‘guilty until proven innocent.’ According to artist some laws are inhibiting although they are meant to make lives better. Such laws govern “our life and morality,” he said.

Michaeal Musyoka is the 2015 first Runner’s up of Manjano Art Competition in Nairobi. A founding member of Brush Tu artists’ Collective, Michael styles range from cubism and surrealism while revealing techniques such us collage, painting and illustration. The current exhibition at Red Hill is a continuation of the artist’s 2018 exhibition ‘Yearning.’ In both these exhibitions, the artist who is in his early thirties tries to look at our relationship with humanity and savagery- how rules guide us into being civilized and how anarchy could destroy our very existence as civilized individuals. The exhibition opened on 31^st March and runs to 19^th May 2019.