Hi everyone,

We hope your week has been amazing so far!  We were so lucky to have been introduced to this AMAZING African based artist and photographer via Adobe Creative Suite! #adobecreativecloud #designlandnyc #thandiwemuriu

It is such a sunny day in NYC today and we feel like it matches the vibrant colors and patterns of Thandiwe Muriu’s photographic creations! This post will be a focus on Muriu’s work, experience and motifs of inspirations. Thandiwe Muriu is a leading Nairobi-based photographer and her style is characterized by bright, fun colors and African fabrics in their glorious & joyful design combinations. 

How did Thandiwe Muriu start

Photography has always been a part of her life.

Having started developing curiosity about her father’s camera fairly young, Muriu began by mimicking fashion photography and posting her work on Facebook, where she was picked up and contacted by many. Still undecided in her career choice, she went on to study Marketing in College and continued to improve her craft while still taking small photography jobs on the side. She describes this period as a time when she was realizing her path, and soon enough decided to whole-heartedly pursue professional photography, defying all the social stigma that comes with it, and overcoming financial difficulties. Muriu feels lucky to have done this change in her life along with other young emerging Kenyan photographers, as communicating with others shattered many barriers that kept young professionals from executing their visions and making a living. 

About Inspiration

Muriu’s inspirations come from many places, all rooted in the love for African fabrics and cultures. 

“My DNA is… I love Color!” – that is her main statement that best describes her innermost personality translated in visuals. 

Muriu plays around with color, patterns, lines and other simple design elements that together form this intricate tapestry of visual exploration. The accessories that complement her fashion photography are often made of the most useful household objects. In an interview with UNESCO, Muriu mentions that this repurposing of African objects resonates to the idea that every household object had over 20 uses in Kenya, and defies class of social group. This way, styling is planned and performed in ways that never appear in western cultures, as they carry Kenyan significance. 

African Beauty

Another important aspect of Muriu’s photography is representing real African beauty.

Growing up, Muriu felt that dark-skinned beauty had little to no representation, with light-skin being deemed as more beautiful. Through her art, she wants to emphasize real African beauty and have little girls see themselves in her work and learn to love their skin and natural features. Muriu aims to shift the damaging beauty standards that previous generations were taught to believe and her photography best translates this major part of her artistic vision.

The Vision in Progress

 Muriu is part of a bigger movement that changed the shape of photography and its landscape in Nairobi.

As an artist, she feels a significant difference in the way photography is no longer perceived as simply photo-journalism, but is now understood as an artform. She sees a shift in local appreciation, focusing on developing internally, as opposed to looking at the global perspective, and has great faith in the future generations and their power to tell the stories and visions of Kenya.  This is why she offers classes for new beginning photographers , as her way to encourage the youth of Nairobi to continue expressing their vision and fight social stigma that tells them otherwise.

Looking at Muriu’s work, we feel inspired and filled with stimulated creativity. We understand the importance of her work and celebrate these beautiful graphics.

Xoxo Lori / Design Land NYC