Sensational, insightful paintings by Michael Soi about church, state, money and lechery have been rejected by the National Museums of Kenya for an exhibition titled “Speaking the Unspeakable”.
And Michael is speaking the unspeakable to Word Is and on his Facebook page.
“I have just been censored by the National Museums of Kenya!” the controversial artist posts.
“The exhibition dubbed ‘Speaking the Unspeakable’ was meant to address issues society refuses to openly discuss and I invested four weeks creating this body of work. Only to be told at the end of it all the National Museums of Kenya itself cannot handle the unspeakable! The most common line ... you know, there are school kids ..."
So why not bar anyone under 18? he suggests?
The museum says the five works — brightly coloured, audacious, funny and to the devout, no doubt offensive — were turned down mostly because of nudity. That's what it tells the BBC. Actually, no one is totally naked, some women are topless, there are a few bare bottoms. And there's some groping for flesh and money.
Pastors are in all five.
Michael tells Word Is, "All these churches are popping up up all over Nairobi. You hear there's a church with 100 per cent women congregants of a certain age. The pastor is a very questionable individual who has a formula for praying for them to get wealthy husbands."
One pastor puts his hand inside a woman's bra while he prays for her at Ozmand's Ministries.
"I also had a piece of a pastor convincing the congregation to undress," Michael says.
In another work, a pastor in purple and businessman in a green suit are kissing and embracing.
"It addresses two institutions, church and state, both led by men. If you look at the problems facing Kenyan society like famine and ethnic tension — this being an election year — one institution that has been very, very silent is the church. How come they are not speaking out? It is because they are in bed with the politicians."
Together with Michael, Patrick Mukabi and Joseph Bertiers also presented five paintings each. Five of Patrick's were rejected and two of Joseph's.
Michael tells Word Is, "We presented our work three days ago and a few hours later we got a call to go to the museum. They told us they 'looked at the work and felt it was not appropriate for our audience.' We
were literary told to present either new work as an option because this would never go up in the gallery."
Nudity is not a viable excuse for censorship because the museum has "a section that revolves around the development of man", Michael says.
"A gallery is very easily controllable if you feel it's inappropriate for children. Get someone to sit at the entrance and tell people it's 18 and over.
"Censorship in Kenya is alive and well," Michael says. "This is the third time it has happened to me. People expect me to be angry but as an artiste I'm actually really stoked, because it simply goes to show that people have a very healthy fear of your work."
He is also famous for designer tote bags that went viral when Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyongo endorsed them, saying, “What's not to love about our
@soysos2
bags?!”