RSVP here.
Come spend a Saturday surrounded by art, color and good company at Ẹlẹ́wà studio in Ridgeways.
Explore a collection of framed and unframed cyanotypes and mini-prints, enjoy some snacks and drinks, and find a piece that speaks to you.
Whether you’re looking for something special for your home, a thoughtful gift, or just a chance to experience the work in person, you’re welcome!
• Ridgeways
• Saturday, 19 September
• 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
The Bookworm is a library and bookshop located in a cozy nook off Gigiri Courtyard in Nairobi. It's filled with great books, tea, and coffee, and through October 3 — a selection of cyanotypes by Elizabeth Ashamu Deng.
Photo:
Kila Ukurasa, Safari Mpya —
With Every Page, A New Journey
30 × 42 cm | 12 in × 16 in
Edition of 10, 2026
Paper Café is pleased to present Quilting Light, a cyanotype exhibition by Nairobi-based artist Elizabeth Ashamu Deng.
In this body of work, Elizabeth pushes cyanotype beyond a single process. She uses toning to shift its characteristic blues into browns, draws on photographic, hand-drawn, and contact-print methods, and sometimes adds gold pen, gold leaf, watercolor, and stitching to create richly textured compositions.
The exhibition is inspired by the rhythm, repetition, and piecing of quilting. Some works are quilts in a literal sense: cyanotype prints cut, pieced, and stitched together. Others evoke quilted surfaces through layered paper cut-outs and botanical silhouettes, using light to create and connect shapes. The compositions are orderly yet unsettling, drawing the viewer into a state of disoriented peace, where forms shift slowly and invite sustained contemplation.
The works bring together Elizabeth’s love of African textiles, her reverence for the natural world, and her dual heritage, drawing especially on African American quilting traditions and Nigerian adire patterns.
🗓️ Exhibit runs 28 May-1 June. Free entry, open Tuesday-Friday 8am to 4pm and Saturday 8am to 8pm
📍 The Good Grain, AK119, Westlands
Exhibit catalogue available here.
The Ẹlẹ́wà installation on the veranda at the Alliance Française presents a new body of work called Blueprints of Being, inspired by this year’s theme, “Let’s Be Human.”
It includes quilted collages called Skin Deep. By revealing the bones and joints we all share, it explores how our differences as humans are, quite literally, only skin deep. It pairs X-rays with botanical forms to celebrate the beauty of the body and our connection to the natural world.
The installation also includes Portrait of a Family That Lives—collages made from a family’s internal images, showing marks of healing, endurance, mortality, and new life--and a series created with Kenyan artist Joy Maringa.
Ẹlẹ́wà will be hosting a sunprinting activity.
Elizabeth Ashamu Deng's solo exhibition, "Your Future Is Bright," opens at One Off Contemporary Art Gallery in Rosslyn on February 28th, 2:00-5:00 p.m. The exhibition run 28 February – 22 March.
This body of cyanotypes reflects on shade and light, resilience and radiance — and will leave you feeling full of hope. The exhibit catalogue is available here.
One Off Contemporary Art Gallery has been a cornerstone of Nairobi’s contemporary art scene for over three decades, championing both Kenyan and international artists.
Bizarre Bazaar is one of Nairobi’s most vibrant craft fairs, bringing together makers, designers, and artists for a three-day celebration of creativity. At the December edition, held from 12–14 December, Ẹlẹ́wà showcased a fresh collection of handmade work, including Christmas tree ornaments, lampshades, framed cyanotypes, cards, and bookmarks—each piece crafted with care by Elizabeth Ashamu Deng.
African Makers Market is a biannual platform that celebrates local craftsmanship, bringing together artisans who showcase and sell handmade creations—from home décor and fashion to gourmet treats. At the AMM Christmas Souk, Ẹlẹ́wà presented a new range of products, including Christmas tree ornaments and lampshades, alongside framed cyanotypes, cards, and bookmarks—each one unique and handmade by Elizabeth Ashamu Deng
This quarterly market brings together makers, creators, and artisans to share their passion and craft, offering unique handmade gifts from local brands. Elizabeth Ashamu Deng showcased recent work and hosted a sun-printing “make your own bookmark” activity, which proved popular with both kids and adults.
This open-air gallery in one of Nairobi’s premier shopping destinations brings together works by both leading and emerging artists from across East Africa. Elizabeth Ashamu Deng showcased her recent pieces, contributing to a vibrant and inspiring collective exhibition.
Elizabeth Ashamu Deng’s passion for flowers inspires much of her work. Tin Roof, a space alive with the beauty and calm of its garden, is the perfect place to celebrate them.
