Dear World,

I have done self-evaluation time and time again, and I have had made peace with the turn of events.

︎

Living in a different city from my parents and I being their first born, they never understood what I had been doing all this time.

Last September, I held my first solo exhibition at Alliance Francaise De Mombasa that followed with a feature on the dailies. This gave me the reason and courage to finally explain to them that this is what I would pursue henceforth. That came with a lot of anxiety, now that there was pressure to do more and become someone, as society puts it. I was choking from the need of success and I had my friends complaining that my whole life was centered in work and I was losing my social being. I always brought up the next project that I will be or am working on even when that was not the topic at hand.

Fast forward to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most businesses closed down and we had to close the studio partially. I lost bookings, and there I was in the house with all the time in the world at my disposal. The break from the hustle and tussles of life has been a blessing in disguise to me. I have done self-evaluation time and time again, and I have had made peace with the turn of events. I have decided on following my art craft whole heartedly and express all that I feel and experience through art, I am on a journey to the unknown future, happy and contented.


Sincerely,

I Didn’t Know There Is A Love Like That

About the photographer: Kelvin Kariithi is a self-taught photographer based in Mombasa, Kenya with a background in BSc Information Technology. He takes interest in Documentary, Commercial & Fine Art photography. Photography to him is his way of speaking to masses, now that most refer to him as being introverted.

Winner of CGAP Photo Contest 2018
Reaching Excluded People Category

Exhibitions:
Safari Ya Sanaa 2019 Kenya & Norway
Stitched Solo Exhibition - Alliance Francaise
OneOff Contemporary Gallery - Upcoming


In a typical African setup, after one is done with their undergraduate studies, they are ideally supposed to get a full-time white-collar job, suits and ties. Kelvin Kariithi a BSc Information Graduate and has been battling whether to pursue his so-called career or stick to photography, three years down the line after graduation.