STUDIO MTAANI: MUTUA KWA CHEMIST | ANTHONY MUISYO

Anthony Muisyo (Nairobi, 1993) is an African artist who primarily works with virtual tools. Using the collage technique to create digital artworks, Muisyo has developed his own distinctive stylistic language, making his works characteristic and easily recognizable.

Muisyo’s projects always arise from suggestions and graphic elements encountered in everyday life. Studio mtaani: mutua kwa chemist (2021) is a digital collage designed by observing the branding strategies adopted by small commercial entities in Mombasa, encountered by the artist during his daily commute. The signs and posters hanging on shop windows find space on the wall depicted in this artwork, and the legible words suggest the type of commercial activity that inspired them.

In Studio mtaani: mutua kwa chemist, you can observe foreground a human-like figure seated on a brown stool, with crossed legs. Though is hard to determine if it is posing for a portrait or awaiting an event. What is certain is the elegance that this figure conveys, despite the limited elements available: he is wearing a pair of attention-grabbing yellow and blue sneakers, a refined two-piece suit, a white shirt, and a blue bowtie.
The man does not have a well-defined face; the head is squared, and the only distinguishable features are the mouth and eyes, larger than they should be in the reality, and not perfectly aligned. Behind him, the wall stands out in an intense and magnetic red, effectively contrasting with the electric blue skirting board and the flaming yellow of the shoes. The floor, on the other hand, is created with a white and gray floral pattern.
The color balance found by Muisyo in this composition denotes an effective and refined aesthetic taste.

At the same time, the writings hanging on the wall display words like ‘blood pressure’, ‘malaria test’, ‘hiv test’, and also ‘photocopy’, ‘scanning’, ‘printing’. These writings contextualize the image in a reality quite different from the charismatic atmosphere conveyed by the figure. Studio mtaani: mutua kwa chemist is an artwork that conceals a dual identity: elegance and restlessness coexist in the same image, creating a captivating contrast that is difficult to divert one’s gaze from.

Anthony Muisyo
Studio mtaani: mutua kwa chemist, 2021
Digital collage, 2000 x 2000 px
© Anthony Muisyo, courtesy the artist

27/01/2024