ART STORIES – Kangarui

RADIANT GIRAFFE

This composition, inspired by countless visits to Nairobi’s Giraffe Center and many minutes staring into big, gentle eyes, merges the curious look of a giraffe with cool-blue banana leaves onto a bold, saturated yellow background. The image recalls the warmth...

OPTIMISTIC GUINEAFOWL

The name Kangarui combines the khanga—the most classic East African textile—and Rui’s name. But kanga is also the Swahili word for the guinea fowl, the white-dotted, blue-faced birds that roam in the Kenyan wild. This design, and the beautiful bird...

MIDNIGHT FLAMINGO

Rui grew up in a house overlooking Lake Nakuru, where, from the living room window, she often watched thousands of flamingos color the lake pink. While, sadly, the number of birds has vastly decreased in the past couple of...

HOLIDAY RHINO

Remember when dinosaurs were all the rage? Stoic, grand, majestic, these creatures captured many young imaginations, and Rui was no exception. Drawing on the sensitivity and gravitas of dinosaurs that so easily enamored a generation, Rui challenged herself to recreate...

PROUD TEMBO

We all know that elephants are powerful and majestic, but in this design, Rui plays with the cheerful, jestful sides of these Kings of the Savannah with a whimsical starburst of flora and symbols. Through visually dynamic elements, she considers...