Peter Walala
Untitled (Madonna)
About the SessionNAIROBI – Following their successful collaboration in 2025, Strauss & Co, Africa’s leading auction house, and Danda Jaroljmek, Director of Art Auction East Africa, will present Art Auction East Africa | Strauss & Co, a 67-lot sale bringing together modern and contemporary art from East Africa and the wider continent. The live-virtual sale will be held at Circle Art Gallery in Nairobi on Wednesday, 28 October, 2026, 7pm EAT. The catalogue spans a diversity of East African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda, alongside works by artists from Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Nigeria. Works on paper, photography and sculpture complements the strong painting consignment. “The selection invites collectors to discover East Africa’s diverse modernist histories, particularly those beyond the Anglophone world,” says Susie Goodman. “In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in East African modernists, with artists associated with the Khartoum School shown in museums and fairs globally. Our work as an auction house rooted in Africa is ensuring this rediscovery is not temporary. We are delighted to partner with Danda Jaroljmek in cultivating a sustainable secondary market for East African modernists active during the era of decolonisation and independence.” A preview exhibition will be held at Circle Art Gallery, Victoria Square, Riara Road, Nairobi, during the two weeks preceding the auction on Wednesday, 28 October 2026.
LOT 48
Peter Walala
Untitled (Madonna)
About this Item
Provenance
Private Collection.
Notes
In Peter Walala’s sculptural practice, he experiments with qualities and properties of different materials such as plastic, stone, ice and wood, developing innovative processes to manipulate and transform them. Walala’s most recent artworks have grown from his interest in clothing labels, observing the intricacy of their sharp text, images and curious messages. Over time, he has shaped a meticulous and affectionate process of sourcing, selecting, treating and piecing the labels together into large tapestries.
Walala studied electronic engineering at the Nairobi Technical Institute before deciding to become a full time artist. He joined the visual arts centre Kuona Trust in 1998 and since then has participated in various collective exhibitions, as well as community projects, both locally and abroad. He has also completed artist residencies in the USA, Finland, Italy and Canada. In 2015, Walala won the Visual Art Award in the Manjano competition in Nairobi.
Biography courtesy of Circle Art Gallery.
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