Picture this; it’s the 60’s, you’re an artist working for a renowned American photographer by producing artwork that will soon land on the American soil. Your expectation is that you’ll be compensated accordingly only to find out your work has been sold in an auction for hundreds of thousands of dollars but what you have can’t buy a three-course meal.
This is the story behind the documentary, Every Picture Needs A Frame, directed by Lucy Chodota screened at Alliance Française, Wednesday 16th. The documentary takes one back to a time when American photographer and Playboy, Peter Beard was at the height of his career, his photos of the Kenyan savannah coupled up with local artwork caught the eyes of many, especially the American elites.
On the flip side, the artists namely; Nathaniel Kiboi, Solomon Misigo, Mwangi Gibson ‘Mzee Mwangi’, Gabriel Macharia, Marimbe Parsimei, Gibson Kuria, Nicholas Njenga and Macharia Mwangi, were held in poor wages, with no way out but to contend with the situation that was backed by demeaning contracts.
Their prowess still shines through dotting, collage, and other techniques to create contemporary and abstract pieces to show our interconnectedness with nature.
The screening sort out to celebrate the artists alongside an exhibition titled Pamoja Arts Collective in Kenya.
Every Picture Needs A Frame, whilst it’s short runtime, didn’t fail to showcase the clarity of the artists’ lifestyles which were much affected from the exploitation of their works. It cut deep comparing their living status with the price tags placed on their art oversees.
This very much sparked a similarity to the current climate in our art sector, leaving one to pray that we don’t end up advocating for what would have been suitable years before in an already advanced age.
