Thandiwe Muriu is a Kenyan artist whose work explores identity, culture, and female empowerment through bold photographic portraits. Inspired by African textiles like the Ankara and East African kanga, she celebrates womanhood and cultural heritage. Self-taught, she began photography at 14 and became one of Kenya’s few female advertising photographers. Her acclaimed Camo series reflects her experience challenging gender expectations, blending optic art with influences from Malick Sidibé. Through her work, she transforms overlooked traditions such as oral histories and everyday objects into proud expressions of identity. Since 2020, Muriu’s work has been exhibited globally, including at the Venice Biennale, Musée de l’Homme and Perrotin Gallery, and in 2024, she published her first monograph Camo and deepened her research on East African kanga fabrics through her series Woven Voices.
Official Instagram account: @thandiwe_muriu