Shabu Mwangi

Shabu Mwangi (b. 1985, Kenya) lives and works in Nairobi. His practice examines the effects of structural violence in both historical and contemporary contexts, particularly those shaped by the farce of democracy and globalisation, the isolating mechanisms of capitalism, and the severed interdependence between human beings and the world they inhabit. He explores emotional and psychological landscapes — both personal and societal — to create densely layered compositions.

Mwangi has lived and worked in Mukuru, an informal settlement in Nairobi, where he co-founded the Wajukuu Art Project in 2004. In 2023, he was a finalist for the Access Art X Prize (Africa/Diaspora category) and participated in the GAS residency in Lagos, initiated by Yinka Shonibare. In 2022, Mwangi and fellow members of the Wajukuu Art Project participated in Documenta 15 in Kassel, where they received the Arnold Bode Prize. The same year, he took part in the 13th Bienal do Mercosul in Brazil.

Recent exhibitions include (Un)Contained Turbulence (Circle Art Gallery, 2024); Self Addressed, curated by Kehinde Wiley (Deitch, Los Angeles, 2023); Systems to Emptiness: A Prelude to Documenta 15 (2022); A Never Ending Longing (Circle Art Gallery, Cromwell Place, London, 2022); The Sources of Our Seas (Circle Art Gallery, 2021); and East African Encounters (Cromwell Place, London, 2021).

He has participated in art fairs including Cape Town Art Fair (2018, 2022) and 1-54 London (2018, 2019). Mwangi has undertaken residencies in Kenya, Germany and Italy. His work is held in several collections, including the ARAK Collection, Documenta and The African Arts Trust.