Shabu Mwangi was born in Lungalunga at Makuru slum in Nairobi, Kenya in 1985. He grew up with his mother and eleven siblings in difficult circumstances. He had to collect plastic and metal from the rubbish dump to help support his family from an early age. He was kicked out of school and used this as an opportunity to learn about life outside the confinements of formal education. At the age of twelve, Mwangi left his family and started living in the slum with other boys. During this time he witnessed a lot of death around him and he was always afraid that his own death could take place at any time. This is what fueled his art.
Mwangi co-founded the Wajukuu Art Project in 2013 whose goal was to make Mukuru a place for children to thrive and an avenue to create jobs via the making and selling of quality artwork. Wajukuu empowers children and young people through art lessons which help them handle daily struggles and speak out against injustices imposed to them. The project has contributed to the establishment of Mukuru’s community library, which provides adults and children with a secure studying environment. The project also offers activities such as documentary screenings and mural painting which address conflict resolution, crime prevention, and gender equality. This way, Wajukuu creates a platform for the community to fully participate in the issues affecting them.
Mwangi is fascinated by human behaviour specifically the postmodern practice of people living together in isolated bubbles. His paintings are about human emotions as encountered amongst his fellow slum-dwellers. He shows events such as illegal abortions, under-age prostitution, and oil leaks from nearby factories. His inspiration is derived from the view that a lot of inequity deeply affects society and that decisions made during highly sensitive political times can make or break a society.
The sadness that Mwangi has experienced first-hand during his harsh life in the slums of Nairobi informs much of his art. His paintings are narratives. The dark colours and abstract figures have an alienating effect. He uses his subjects’ facial expressions to show the scary circumstances around them. He uses corrugated iron which he has plenty of in the slums in his paintings. Living in the slums means living in an environment that is constantly changing as affected by different occurences and it is important for Mwangi to document everything as it happens.
He has worked with art2be and Hope Worldwide. His exhibitions include the Pop-Up Africa at the Gallery of African Art in London, England; the Out of the Slum exhibition in Essen, Germany and various group and solo exhibitions in Nairobi, Kenya.
