Formerly based in Nairobi at the Masai Mbili Artists Collective and then at the Kuona Art Studio, Wycliffe Opondo ‘Wiki’ now lives and paints in Kisumu, a move brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Alliance Française is happy to be hosting a solo exhibition of his most recent paintings, bringing street humour and graphic jokes in his signature sign-painting style to the gallery. As a self-taught artist, Wiki’s art journey started at children’s workshops at the Paa ya Paa Art Gallery back in the 1980s. In his youth, Wiki was influenced by popular culture and the proliferation of graffiti and street art, and while still at school he found occasional commercial work as a sign painter and matatu artist. He pursued a degree in Appropriate Technology, but his calling has always been art. He has participated in several exhibitions in locally and in Europe and spent a couple of years in Sweden taking masterclasses in printmaking and become proficient in intaglio printmaking.

L’Alliance Française est heureuse d’accueillir la toute dernière exposition de Wycliffe Opondo “Wiki : Bottoming Up” dans ses locaux. Grâce à son coup de crayon emblématique, Wiki nous transporte à travers ses tableaux dans un univers humoristique bien à lui.