The African Art Trust: Entrepreneur showcases private collection of works by young Kenyan artists

Robert Devereau set up The African Art Trust (TAAT) as a charitable foundation back in 2010. At the time, he was thinking he would support it for no more than 10 years, like most of the start-up projects he’d previously launched.

But since the foundation was launched and he got increasingly involved, working with artists in the region, the work of TAAT led him to set up a non-profit gallery space where artists and curators can engage with the public and also collaborate.

In the past, Mr Deveraux’s most notable project was his collaboration with his friend, Richard Branson to build Virgin Airlines from scratch when it still seemed like a risky business to bank on.

“I’m an entrepreneur who enjoys taking risks,” he told the BD Life just hours before the official opening of TAAT last Thursday night at its new art space, just next door to Circle Art Gallery on Riara Road.

“I’m not a curator, although I selected the artists who are in this exhibition and I love visiting them in their studios,” he added. “But I don’t call myself a curator,” he said emphatically.

Yet the diversity of the works in TAAT’s premiere exhibition is not just timely. It is a fascinating, edgy mix of mono-print (Tiemar Tegene), painting (Shabu Mwangi, Michael Musyoka, Boniface Maina, and Sujay Shah), photography (Tahir Karmali), and recycled or junk art, (Cyrus Kabiru). It’s also got archival (Jess Atieno, Kaloki Nyami) and conceptual art (Jackie Karuti and Longilos Nagila).

In the past, TAAT might have been mistaken for a foreign donor that operates on a quid pro quo basis. But TAAT doesn’t work that way.

It provides grants to artists and art organisations having a host of short and longer-term needs. The trust has assisted artists in over 25 African countries, mainly in North and South Africa.

Jonathan G.S. Fraser’s mixed media art at The African Art Trust’s new Gallery in Kilimani, Nairobi on September 27, 2023. PHOTO | POOL

But now it has focused on East Africa. There are more than 40 works in the exhibition, more than half of which are by Kenyans.

“What’s being exhibited here reflects a fraction of my collection, none of which is for sale,” Robert explained. Noting that he doesn’t see TAAT’s new art space as a museum although they both exhibit art that is not for sale.

But he felt that these (relatively) young artists’ works deserved to be made more visible for a wider public to see.

Noting all the artists in his show are under 40, he said that is why someone like Peterson Kamwathi who’s 42, was not there.

But among the Kenyans selected by Robert to be in this show, are everyone from Shabu Mwangi, Cyrus Kabiru, Tahir Karmali, Michael Musyoka, Longinos Nagila, Jess Atieno and Onyis Martin to Sujay Shah, Jackie Karuti, Jonathan Gathaara Solanke Fraser, Boniface Maina, and Kaloki Nyamai.

Robert also features artworks from other parts of the region, including several works by the Ethiopian mono-printmaker, Tiemar Tegene, who coincidentally is having a solo exhibition just next door, at Circle Art Gallery.

“We were going to bring Tiemar here for our opening, but things got so messy in her country, she wasn’t able to come,” Robert told the BD Life.

Nonetheless, Circle makes brief but informative videos of all of their exhibiting artists. In that way, the gallery enables them to explain their style of practice, including the media they use and the techniques they apply.

In Tiemar’s case, her preference is to work with solid black paint which she pours onto large plastic sheets on which she has etched her ideas.

After that, she prints just one on paper. Then, after cleaning and erasing the previous etching, she uses the plastic again.

Onyis Martin’s ‘No Thruway’ collage at The African Art Trust’s new Gallery in Kilimani, Nairobi on September 27, 2023. PHOTO | POOL

It’s not a surprise that Tiemar Tegene is in both sister shows since TAAT has assisted the artist in the past, even as it has helped other individual artists as well as art organizations like Circle Art, Brush tu, and Kuona Artists Alliance among others.

“The Trust assists both individual artists and art institutions,” Circle Art’s founder, Danda Jaroljmek told BD Life. “He prefers working with organisations that already exist since they know exactly what they want and need,” she added.

One of the big challenges that African artists face, Robert believes, is a lack of infrastructure enabling them to communicate cross-continentally.

That’s why TAAT can assist with everything from airfares and art residencies to art materials and other sundry art-related bills.

If it sounds like a dream come true, then head to TAAT and find out for yourself.

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