By KARI MUTU

More by this Author

It is interesting to compare how different artists view and express figurative works. Patti Endo and Paul Onditi recently partnered to present their take on this genre through a joint art exhibition dubbed ''Beyond Self'' at the Tribal Gallery, Nairobi.

The collaboration was described as a “meeting of minds, souls and visions of two of Kenya’s most intellectually provocative artists.” Onditi and Endo grew up in very different environments, and Beyond Self was an attempt at breaking boundaries and deconstructing egos, by merging two worlds to create synergy within.

Now based in Kenya, Endo was born and raised in Tokyo and studied fine art painting and critical thinking at the University of Brighton, UK. Her curiosity is drawn to the human body’s mysteries, with influences drawn from her African and Japanese parentage.

Her figurative works are created using Japanese ink and charcoal on watercolour paper or calligraphy paper. Endo, 25, is fascinated by portraiture and the human body because “both are a visual representation of the journey of life.”

Endo’s face portraits sport bald heads and stylised cheek circles, while the features are created through line drawings.

Though expressionless, her faces exude subtle emotional qualities linked to self-observation and introspection. “I express and depict myself on paper as a form of self-reflection, as well as embrace the vulnerability of being human in the rawest form,” said Endo.

The colour palette of the portraits and full figures is mainly monochrome black and white, with the occasional skin colouring or muted pink. Her nude females have slender torsos and powerful thighs, regularly face each other, and sometimes embrace or pose sensually. The titles, however, guide you to her message, revealing a more complex thought process.

An unclothed female holds her head and bends backward over a dark circle in a painting from ''The Mental Rabbit Hole'' series. Facing Oneself, triptych has two nude women standing body to body, one dark and the other light-skinned. You sense Endo’s soul-searching and reflection upon her dual heritage in both.

I like her limited use of colours which bring simplicity and sophistication to the illustrations. “The minimalist aspect of my work and medium is derived from my Japanese ethnicity, while my boldness to express unapologetically would tie both grounds,” she said.

Kenyan-born Onditi, 42, studied art in Germany at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Offenbach am Main, and lived there between 2000 - 2010. His art probes global issues such as politics, religious differences, pollution, and declining resources.

Onditi’s unique voice makes his artworks both captivating and elusive. His mixed media technique includes oil and acrylic paints, photos, newspaper texts and film strips.

The same male figure called ‘Smokey’ features in most of them, and it is through him that we experience Onditi’s compositions.