Thandiwe Muriu – Shaping the Female Lens in Kenya
Kenyan photographer Thandiwe Muriu discovered photographic meaning-making at the age of 14 when she started experimenting with her father’s old Nikon. The self-taught photographer gleaned her knowledge by reading photography books and watching video tutorials, as there were no formal photography schools in Kenya. She has been working professionally since she was 17 and shot her first solo advertising campaign by 23. She was photographing campaigns for some of the biggest companies in East Africa by 2019.
Muriu is the sole woman working in a male-dominated advertising photography industry in Kenya, and as a result she grapples with questions around the place of tradition, her own self-perception and the role of women in society. Her experiences inspired the series Camo as a cultural reflection, acting as a catalyst for her to push her own photographic practice, Camo reflects her personal journey.
Her work celebrates Africa’s uniqueness by showcasing vibrant textiles, beauty ideologies and cultural practices. Her surreal illusions are not made by manipulation but rather made purely with her lens, styling and backdrops. She works with issues relating to self-perception and identity, aiming to redefine female empowerment through her choice of materials like household items and fabric.
With an atypical career trajectory, Murio has only worked as an artist for the past few years. Regardless, her work forms a part of private and public collections. Including: Fondation Gandur from Switzerland, UHODA collection from Belgium, The Contemporary African Art collection by Pigozzi, the Carla and Pieter Schulting collection and the Allure collection in Switzerland to name a few. Furthermore a number of museums have purchased her work including MoMA, Tate, V&A and Perez. Her work is currently being shown at 1-54 Art Fair, New York from 8 – 11 May 2025 with 193 Gallery.
