Jimmy Kitheka was born in 1993 in Kenya, he currently lives in Ngong and works in Nairobi, where his studio is located.
He studied graphics design in 2012 and worked as a graphics design lecturer in 2014, at Venture institute for a year before becoming a full time artist in 2015, under the mentorship of a well known artist in Kenya: Patrick Mukabi. For five years he worked together with Patrick Mukabi at his studio, until Jimmy together with some of his colleagues opened his own atelier, The Hive Art Studio.
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 my artworks.
He has been involved in workshops working with both kids and adults from different places in Kenya, such as Olepolos primary school (Maasai school, kajiado county) where he led a workshop for a year under a UN based organization called Artist for development and Rika workshop where he worked with different artists from different generations and learned a lot of different art ideas using oil paints and other mediums.
After working as a professional artist and Art Teacher for five years and having his first solo exhibition, he started teaching his first adult oil painting classes and supervising on professional internship programs with institutions such as Kenyatta University. It is through these classes that he has learned to inspire others to freely express themselves and portray the world as they truly see it.
Jimmy is a young artist with a promising future, strongly building his reputation as the Keyan Edward Hopper.
Kitheka’s works were exhibited in a group show at the National Museum of Kenya. Recently, his first solo exhibition was organized by the British Cultural Center Nairobi, also known as the British Institute of East Africa (BIEA). Jimmy has participated in many group exhibitions in Kenya and abroad.
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.
In 2022, Jimmy took part in a residency program organized by the University of Macerata, Italy, whose outcome is going to be presented in a solo show at AKKA Project Venice.
