Je, Niko Huru? Threads of Freedom: Njeri Kinuthia at the Polasek

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

I’ve often referred to The Albin Polasek Museum in Winter Park, FL as a “hidden gem.” I’m pleased to say that it has consistently lived up to this distinction and emphatically so with its current exhibition. Je, Niko Huru? Threads of Freedom: Njeri Kinuthia is a powerful and revelatory collection by an artist that was included in the 2024 Florida Prize exhibition at the Orlando Museum of Art. Artist Njeri Kinuthia’s work shines in the intimate galleries of The Polasek and is a must-see exhibition.

Kinuthia’s tantalizing fabrics immediately greet guests as they enter the museum, creating a sense of awe and wonder at her textile mastery. The color vibrancy and the dynamic patterns will enrapture you. Be forewarned, you may find yourself desperately fighting every instinct to reach out and touch the artwork. It’s all so inviting and that is the point. The invitation is cordial and the welcome is grand but the work itself is a journey into the deepest, most vulnerable parts of the artist’s psyche… and nothing is held back.

“Smothered” heads proliferate the collection, reminiscent of Magritte’s motif, but more poignant as a symbol of the artist’s struggle with personal freedoms. Je, Niko Huru? (from the exhibition’s title) translates from the Swahili to “Am I Free?” This question feels more relevant and necessary than ever as constitutional freedoms are blatantly stripped from the American population by an unchecked pseudo-dictator. One has to imagine the shock and disappointment of an artist coming to America – the formerly welcoming “melting pot” of cultures – in search of freedom, only to find it hijacked by the incompetent sycophants of a jingoist president.

I was especially impressed with the scope of the work. Kinuthia handily demonstrates her skill at a variety of mediums, tackling everything from charcoal to metal sculpture to found object assemblage to woodcut prints.

I think my favorite thing about this exhibition is that it allows the visitor to really absorb and appreciate all the deliberately profound details in the artist’s work. I encourage all visitors to take extended time with every piece to look for that “something extra,” that detail that may seem insignificant but is vital to the understanding the artist’s message.

Notice how the artist continues the work in charcoal and pastel directly onto the gallery wall, suggesting that the work is still “in progress,” and vicariously, so is the artist.

Notice how the portrait is created in negative – by removing the fabric’s color – via a harsh chemical (bleach) that cannot be undone. This poses multiple questions like, what must one lose to fit in or, what must a person erase to become their most authentic self?

Notice the very literal “loose thread” hanging from the smothered head on the stanchion’s platform while the notorious “velvet rope” is now wrapped in colorful fabric and tied up in knots.

I applaud the staff and the board of The Polasek for their courage in hosting an exhibition this timely and important and for amplifying an artistic voice that needs to be heard. I am grateful to artist Njeri Kinuthia for her fearlessness, determination, and ambition and I am both proud and humbled to have this artist call Central Florida home.

For more on this exhibition, please visit…

Current Exhibition

For more on Njeri Kinuthia, please visit…

https://njerikinuthia.com/

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I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.