archival ink print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag

Artwork date: 2018
Signature details: accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by artist
Edition: number 1 from an edition of 10

(1)

image size: 30 x 45 cm; sheet size: 42 x 59.5 cm unframed

Born and raised in Nairobi, self-taught documentary photographer and visual storyteller Gordwin Odhiambo’s work critically explores the lives of young people and how they navigate the realities around them in the low-income urban communities of one of Africa’s largest and fastest-growing cities.

Raised in the informal settlement of Kibera, Odhiambo’s experiences and photographic practice would be shaped by this dynamic community. After high school, he participated in a study and volunteer programme by Voluntary Service Overseas and International Citizen Service on topics related to international development in Africa. After finishing the programme, more aware of the challenges of his community and how the community has been seen through other lenses, he wanted to explore these issues from an insider’s perspective and challenge mainstream representations and reductive stereotypes.

Odhiambo was part of the 2017 World Press Photo Foundation workshop in Nairobi, moderated by Kenyan activist and photojournalist Boniface Mwangi. In 2018, he was awarded a scholarship to the VII Photo Foundation masterclass in Nairobi, moderated by photojournalists Nichole Sobecki and Danny Wilcox Frazier of VII Photo Agency. He is a member of the African Photojournalism Database – a group of professional African photographers telling the stories of the communities in which they work and live. He has received several accolades, including the East African Photography Awards organised by the Uganda Press Photo Association.

“Kibera is a dynamic place that has its challenges, but joy, connection, and purpose forms a huge part of this community. As a young man, growing up through the challenges, I had to improvise and adapt to life situations and I found it very interesting.[…] Amidst all these, it was not all that gloomy. The things that I did and continue to do have and are shaping me into the person I am today. My current projects intentionally and thoughtfully explore the activities of young men in Nairobi’s low-income communities and how they go about navigating the tough economic realities.

Buoyed by the desire to feel recognised, these young men are creating a unique cultural movement that is driving Nairobi’s art scene. Amidst the dynamism and vibrancy, existence among low-income communities in Nairobi, how do the youth dream? I believe that the way you make your hair, dress and present yourself within the community have a lot to do with what you’d like to be in the future. My photography puts faces to a place I call home and creates a sense of existence and belonging through art and culture.”

The work was part of the project that received the East African Photography Award by the Uganda Press Photo Association in 2020, and explored how amidst a pandemic, a community came together to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. It has been exhibited in Oldenburg, Germany, with the World Press Photo and African Photojournalism Database.