Notes

Sane Wadu began painting professionally in the 1980s, after giving up his career as a teacher. He became one of Gallery Watatu’s most successful and iconic artists with distinctive, energetic, and often humorous themes floating through his work. Spanning a long and distinguished career of over four decades, Sane’s contribution to the local art community is unparalleled. He co-founded the Ngecha Artists Association in the 1990s with Eunice Wadu, Wanyu Brush, and Chain Muhandi and, alongside his artist-wife, Eunice, continues to support young artists through The Sane Wadu Trust where they teach workshops every weekend from their studio in Naivasha. His paintings have been exhibited worldwide, including in the USA, Germany, South Africa, Japan, and the UK, most notably in the seminal exhibition at the Whitechapel Art Gallery, Seven Stories about Modern Art in Africa in 1995 and its accompanying book. In 2020 Sane Wadu had a retrospective at Nairobi Contemporary Arts Institute (NCAI), Kenya and was also featured in the travelling group show Mwili Akili Na Roho at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK and Haus Der Kunst, Munich, Germany. Sane Wadu most recently had a retrospective at NCAI.

Biography courtesy of Circle Art Gallery.

Provenance

Circle Art Gallery, Nairobi, 2023.

Exhibited

Circle Art Gallery, Cromwell Place, London, East African Masters, 6 to 11 October 2022.