Artist Database

Cyrus Kabiru was born in Nairobi, Kenya, where he still lives and works.

In 2013, Kabiru was a fellow at TED’s The Young, The Gifted, The Undiscovered conference in Los Angeles. In 2016, he was selected as one of Quartz’s Africa Innovators in Nairobi, Kenya; he was a featured artist in the Gestalten publication titled Africa Rising: Fashion, Design and Lifestyle from Africa; and he was the resident artist at the Han Nefkens Foundation in Barcelona, Spain. He participated in the Zeitz MOCAA Artist in Residency Programme in Kenya in 2018 and in the Africa First residency in Israel in 2019.

Kabiru has exhibited frequently in solo and group shows, both internationally and on the African continent, including Upcoming in 2010 at the Kuona Trust in Nairobi, Kenya; C-Stunners & Black Mamba at SMAC Gallery in Cape Town; Beyond Borders, the 5th Beaufort Triennial in West Flanders Belgium; Lumières d’Afriques at the Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris, France; and The Shadows Took Shape at The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York.

Kabiru’s work is included in the Zeitz MOCAA permanent collection and in numerous other notable public and private collections in Europe, the United States of America, Kenya, and South Africa.

Biography adapted from information courtesy of Africa First.