By Chinma Johnson-Nwosu
The Kenyan-born artist Wangari Mathenge returns to London with her second solo show in the city. On display are the artist's paintings and installation from her latest series, A Day of Rest, which explores the plight of domestic workers in Kenya—often women who through the country's precarious labour laws are left unprotected from mistreatment and abuse. The paintings are portraits of actual Kenyan women who Mathenge invited to relax and tell stories in her studio last year. “Mathenge joined them in varied discussions that included subjects such as spirituality, finances, education, feminism, and the need for rest and reflection,” a gallery statement says.
Stand out works include for Norah and Nick, an intimate portrait of two women—one busying herself facing away from us and the other in bed with arms crossed contemplatively. Another is para mi (2023) a portrait of a woman resting on the floor with the skirt of her dress riding up in a moment of blissful unguardedness.
