Brian Gwako

Brian is 21 years old and lives with a friend in Kibera. In addition to his interest in art, Brian is a goalkeeper for Uweza’s soccer team and is currently a student at University of Nairobi. Working as an artist has helped him to cater for his own needs as well as cover the costs of his university education.

He loves to paint nature and images of his neighborhood. When he paints images of Kibera, he hopes to portray how he plans to be successful in the future and then give back to the community where he grew up.

He faces several challenges as an artist. He sometimes struggles to find inspiration for his pieces. He depends financially on sales of his artwork and this adds extra pressure to create beautiful images. He also sometimes finds it hard to balance soccer, school, and art.

According to Brian, what other people can learn from artists in Kenya and Kibera is how to be true and original. He believes when you are honest about yourself, it will draw people to you to try and learn more about you. His biggest dream for the future is to own his own gallery that supports local talent from children to adults. He also wishes to expand his knowledge in other areas related to art.

Brian can be found on Instagram at @brian_gwako.