Jimmy Kitheka

Biography

“I try to reimagine myself living in that time through my paintings. Some ideas came from the dreams that I have of me experiencing the same adventures they had back in the days”.

Jimmy Kitheka was born in 1993 in Kenya, he currently lives in Ngong and works in Nairobi, where his studio is located.

Jimmy is an impressionistic artist captivated by landscapes and oneiric scenarios; through shadows and blur effects Kitheka evokes a sense of nostalgia. His work allows us to travel back in time to stories told by his grandfather and father. Stories that retrace life in Nairobi in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. His main medium is oil paints on canvas and chalk pastels when sketching on paper, both portray effects on a painting or a sketch, to look retro or like a memory. He’s also used acrylics and charcoal in some of his artworks.

Jimmy is a young artist with a promising future, strongly building his reputation as the Keyan Edward Hopper. Since 2020, he has been taking part in solo and group shows throughout the African Continent, and in Venice and Dubai with AKKA Project. Recently, two of Jimmy's latest works have been acquired by Fondation Frances, Paris, France, and has been included in their private contemporary art collection. In 2022, Jimmy's work The Life Guard entered the Museums of Kenya Permanent Collection.

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Jimmy Kitheka
The Lost Golden Girl, 2022
Oil on Canvas
70 x 100 cm
Jimmy Kitheka
Silouhettes View from Piazza della Libertà, 2023
Oils on Canvas
60 x 40 cm
Jimmy Kitheka
Mawazo ya Mitaani (Street Mentality), 2023
Pastel and charcoal on strawboard paper
94 x 100 cm
Jimmy Kitheka
Mawazo ya Mitaani III (Street Mentality 3), 2023
Pastel and charcoal on strawboard paper
97 x 97 cm
Jimmy Kitheka
Daily life, 2021
Oils on Canvas
130x177 cm