Kenyan women, from fearless freedom fighters to present-day activists, take centre stage in a stirring exhibition that transforms recycled brass, denim, and thread into symbols of resilience and reverence.
Powerful Kenyan Women, showing at the HOF Gallery in Kibera’s arts district, is a bold tribute to the matriarchs, trailblazers and quiet warriors shaping the nation’s story.
Curated by Zoe Ryan, the multimedia showcase brings together an eclectic mix of artists working in wire sculpture, tapestry, recycled fabric and metalwork. It is not only a celebration of women, but a demonstration of the power of art to preserve memory and provoke dialogue.
A tapestry of Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai by ACT team during the ‘Powerful Kenyan Women’ exhibition at the House Of Friends (HOF) Gallery in Kibera, Nairobi on May 22, 2025.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
The works spotlight familiar faces from Kenya’s past and present: Field Marshall Muthoni Kirima, Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai, firebrand MP Millie Mabona, and activist Njeri Wa Migwi, Migwi one of the loudest voices against sexual and domestic violence against girls and women, among others.
The tapestry pieces by the African Collect Textile (ACT) team are particularly compelling, capturing the essence of these women with yarn, fabric, and an emotive hand.
The artists behind the pieces are as varied as their media. They include the ACT collective, Samco Sculptures, Naina Nathalie Botango, Magala Emmanuel Eperu, Margaret Amimo, and Ted Njenga—co-founder of Exotic Designs Art, who is making his exhibition debut.
Ted’s work features recycled brass and aluminium, manipulated through an intricate nail-and-hammer technique. His piece Mti wa Maisha (translating to the tree of life) honours his mother, a single parent who raised him after his father passed away.
“Kenyan women are silent roots anchoring generations,” he says.
“Womanhood is very powerful. Mti wa Maisha speaks of growth and the ability of women to nurture, protect and build. The show honours women in our current generation for their love and their resilience.”
For Ted, his choice of brass for the exhibition was not coincidental. The metal may not be easy to work with, but done well, it produces pieces that speak of permanence and strength—qualities he associates with womanhood.
He draws inspiration from Moroccan and Egyptian metalwork, but his recent evolution into visual art is driven by a new calling: to use light, form and texture to tell deeper, more resonant stories.
“I wasn’t born with it,” Ted says of his craft. “Mine was more of apprenticeship—watching others, learning from YouTube, and trying to improve the environment by reducing waste.”
When Ted and Peter Njenga first founded Exotic Designs, metal wasn’t their inspiration, they were working on making lampshades using linen fabric.
They later realised that the longevity of their work was a farce. They wanted products that would be more unique and long-lasting.
They started experimenting with recycled brass and aluminium to create their crafts and before long, their pieces were attracting attention.
Mti wa Maisha textured brass art by Ted Njenga during the ‘Powerful Kenyan Women’ exhibition at the House Of Friends (HOF) Gallery in Kibera, Nairobi on May 22, 2025.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
It takes about seven days to create a simple piece, but for larger projects, the time is longer. One of their unique designs is a centre piece called the Mwamba piece which is a commanding hammered brass pendant reflecting strength, permanence and timeless duty.
Creating it, Ted says, entailed the use of a more fabric-like pattern from “vitenges” and Ankara and it took about two and a half weeks to complete.
The exhibition could best be labelled as a meet-up of artsy scrap merchants and environmentalists who will not see waste thrive, from the ACT team and their tapestry work to recycling jeans from Gikomba to Exotic designs who scrummage metal to make art with, you can laud the show as a homage to conservation.
