Discover Nairobi’s Vibrant Art Scene Right From Your Hotel

Just 48 hours after arriving in Nairobi, I find myself on a lush terrace mingling with a diverse group of Ghanaian entrepreneurs, European architects, and Kenyan artists—some returning from the Venice Biennale, others heading to Frieze Miami. The atmosphere buzzes with lively discussions, and I'm engrossed in conversation with painter Shabu Mwangi. His exhibition, hosted by GravitArt, an online gallery known for pop-up shows across the city, is the reason we've gathered at this lively private home in the Westlands area.

My presence here isn’t due to being part of the elite art scene, but rather because of Hemingways Eden, a boutique hotel established in 2021 by Anna Trzebinski. Originally built in 1992 as a family home with her late husband, Tonio, this hotel promises more than just a comfortable stay. Trzebinski aims to link visitors with Nairobi’s artistic community through hotel events and personalized art experiences. With her roots in Germany and her upbringing in Kenya, she’s a fashion designer with extensive connections in the arts. Instead of hiring professional guides, she enlists friends from the arts to lead tours of gallery openings, screenings, concerts, and more. Even after its recent inclusion in the Hemingways Collection, Trzebinski’s influence is still evident.

The hotel itself serves as a canvas for creativity. Set on four acres of tree-lined grounds, it maintains a private estate atmosphere. Its nine rooms—many featuring canopied beds intricately carved by artisans inspired by Kenya’s Lamu Island—are distributed between a main house and a studio annex. The space is adorned with artifacts from Kenya’s Samburu and Maasai cultures, alongside items from Trzebinski’s extensive personal collection of contemporary African paintings and sculptures, priming my eye for the artistic encounters awaiting me in Nairobi.

“Africa’s artistic scene is thriving in every discipline, and Nairobi stands at the center of this vibrancy,” says Trzebinski.

The dynamic energy surrounding contemporary art is precisely what the hotel’s exclusive art experiences provide to guests. My visit to GravitArt is part of a gallery tour I’m embarking on with Peter Achayo, an art enthusiast, researcher, blogger, and a walking encyclopedia of African artists. He’s guiding me through connections and venues I wouldn’t have discovered on my own.

At the GravitArt exhibition, I converse with Mwangi while admiring his oil painting titled Supreme Cages on the adjacent wall. The artwork features a skeletal white figure with its head bowed and hands clasped, overshadowed by a heavy, oppressive red line. Mwangi has just returned from the esteemed Documenta exhibition in Germany and explains that this piece addresses the media's misrepresentation of his work, which they often reduce to the harsh realities of life in Mukuru, one of Nairobi’s largest slums, where he grew up and collaborates with a youth-focused art collective, Wajukuu Art Project.

“Coming from Mukuru, people often assume that you lack a global perspective,” he shares. “I challenge that notion. My art isn’t solely about Mukuru; it addresses global issues and their effects on all of us.”

At the next gallery, Kuona Artists Collective, a band performs on a stage beneath the stars. Achayo introduces me to the young artist Ndunde Bulimo, who warmly embraces me. Moments later, she leads me into one of the venue's shipping containers that serves as a showroom, sharing the significance behind her vibrant woodblock prints. These artworks portray individuals in various headdresses and hats, exploring the personal reasons behind hair coverings. I’m particularly drawn to a print of a woman in a cerulean headdress, her intense gaze piercing through. Shortly after, I leave the gallery as a new supporter of Nairobi art, with the rolled print in hand, thrilled to engage in the conversation and grateful to Hemingways Eden for facilitating this experience.