Scroll to top

Art Research

Research within TPAAE explores the fusion of Traditional and Contemporary Art in Kenya. Drawing on the experiences of partners from Kenyatta University and Pwani University, the project’s multidisciplinary approach finds its footing in the so-called performative turn in fields such as linguistics, anthropology, ethnography, sociology, art, and architecture that is a pillar of research in the humanities and social sciences. Experienced art historians, educators and curators from the National Museum in Szczecin and the University of Macerata are focusing on grounded, intimate, and embodied practices as keys for understanding the art made in the region.

Stemming principally from every day, first-person interactions, observations, and analyses, their field studies include interviews with artists, artisans, actors and residents. As well as observation of performances, meetings with representatives of cultural institutions, non-governmental organizations, artistic groups, art curators, and cultural activists. Taking place on two continents, their work embraces artistic and educational practices, as well as workshops, festivals and exhibitions. While aimed at meeting goals and completing deliverables for TPAAE, their findings are providing a platform for future examinations and cultural exchanges.

Their selected lines if inquiry include:

  • Assessing the degree to which East African artistic production developed according to the diktats of European culture and vision during the 19th and 20th centuries.
  • Analyzing the “academic art” produced in East Africa since the foundation of art education based on European models and its effects on the so-called “tourist art” produced for Westerners.
  • Defining the specifics of traditional Kenyan theater.
  • Determining whether puppet performances can play a role in new forms of education and socialization.
  • Understanding the notion of performance and performativity in Contemporary Art practices in Kenya and East Africa.
  • Exploring the drivers of the increasing female involvement in traditional performances in Kenya.
  • Interpreting changes in tangible and intangible cultural heritage on the coast of Kenya.
  • Identifying the characteristics of Contemporary Art made in Kenya.
  • Developing models for transcultural art education in the Kenyan context.

 

 

 

Recent Activities

czysty
Posted by czysty
14 November 2023

Rwanda Museums Report

TPAAE researcher Marlena Chybowska-Butler, from the National Museum in…

Read More
czysty
Posted by czysty
3 November 2023

An Art-Making Tour of the Rwandan Capital

Marlena Chybowska-Butler, a TPAAE researcher from the National Museum…

Read More
czysty
Posted by czysty
30 September 2023
czysty
Posted by czysty
25 September 2023

Venice Biennale 2023 Challenges Western Architectural Tradition

TPAAE researcher Marlena Chybowska-Butler visited the Mostra di Architettura... Read More
czysty
Posted by czysty
18 July 2023

TWADUNDA TU: Kenyan Artists Exhibit in Poznan

What comes to mind hearing the Swhaili words ‘Twadunda... Read More
czysty
Posted by czysty
18 July 2023

Technical University of Mombasa Team Concludes Successful Szczecin Secondment

Two Researchers from Technical University of Mombasa (TUM) took... Read More
czysty
Posted by czysty
6 July 2023

Social Ecology Exhibition Opens in Szczecin

The third edition of the DUOS Festival opened to... Read More
czysty
Posted by czysty
6 June 2023

Corpuscle, 6 June 2023, Gare du Nord, Basel

Polish classical music at the rezydence of the Ambassador…

Read More
czysty
Posted by czysty
2 June 2023

Artists and Researchers Ready for DUOS in Szczecin

Polish classical music at the rezydence of the Ambassador…

Read More
czysty
Posted by czysty
7 February 2023

The Academy of Art in Szczecin Masterclasses in Music at the Kenyatta University

Soprano Sylwia Burnicka-Kalischewska and violinist Alicja Pilarczyk are conducting... Read More
czysty
Posted by czysty
31 January 2023

Kenyan Researchers in Szczecin for Winter Secondments

Prof. Stephen Muoki from Pwani University and Dr. Wanyenda... Read More
czysty
Posted by czysty
23 January 2023

A Conversation with Elkana Ong’esa

As part of her Autumn 2022 secondment, the National... Read More
We use cookies to give you the best experience.