They say that art; of any form; whether fine art; photography or even graffiti; is a visual form of expression- the best format and way to convey a message to a larger audience.
With that in mind; think of the large traffic that goes through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
I recently was there and had a chance to sample the “Spray for Change” peace campaign that was commissioned by Dura coat Paints.
This different type of peace campaign; launched at the Nairobi based airport; involves 10 graffiti artists sharing their visions of a new Kenya on individually allocated 400 meters of corrugated sheets around a construction-site at the airport.
The two-day project had a selection of Nairobi’s top graffiti artists- Bankslave, Wisetwo, Esen, Swift9, Tyso, Uhuru B ,Smokilah, Shan, Felok and Kerosh- create vibrant creations with everything from tribal masks, city skyline to images of empower ordinary citizens.
Swift 9; whose panel includes a hulking figure of athlete David Rudisha; explains the inspiration behind his choice;
“Rudisha represents Kenya’s sports and athletics. Everybody rejoices when Kenya wins, no matter where you are in the country. It unites us.”
All the panels will be up for the next 6 to 8 months and once construction at the JKIA site is completed; Dura coat plans to store the panels as works of art.
But before then; a cash prize and paint for a community initiative of one of the graffiti artist’s selection; totaling KES 250,000 is up for grabs. A competition running on http://sprayforchange.com will reward the artist who garners the most votes for his superb artwork.
The project was filmed and documented as it took place in the hope that it will serve to promote the artists; the country and the voice of a new generation to Kenyans and the world at large.
-additional info from Wanjeri Gakuru of Nairobi’s UP magazine. View the gallery at: http://sprayforchange.com/gallery/
