6 Contemporary African Artists You Should Know

3. Wangechi Mutu

Exploring the themes of gender, femininity, and objectification of black women, Wangechi Mutu creates a personal language that references nature and the organic world to shape an ethereal dimension. Mutu was born in Kenya in 1972 and moved to New York in the 1990s to study Arts and Anthropology. Her interest in animals, plants, and metamorphosis paved the way for her to produce the hybrid female-animal figures present in her paintings, collages, sculptures, and films. 

Mutu’s work is part of collections worldwide and is extensively exhibited in the US and Europe. In 2015, she participated in many biennials including, Dak’Art (Dakar), Moscow, and Venice. In 2019 she was commissioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) to inaugurate a space at the museum entrance that will be dedicated to contemporary artists. Mutu created large bronze sculptures (Seated I, II, III, and IV)  that were exhibited until the fall of 2020.

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