There’s a fantastic sense of fluidity in multidisciplinary artist and jewellery designer, Theresia Kyalo’s work. She moves across textile, metal, paper and film with agility and purpose. The 24-year-old Kenyan holds a law degree but has been working as an artist in Nairobi for the last four years. “I started with line drawing but wanted to make my work tangible so I started experimenting with brass and metal and I liked it,” she says.

In 2019, Kyalo released Body Pieces, a collection of handcrafted brass jewellery. Each item had a Swahili title derived from the part of the anatomy it mimicked - mboni for eyeball, kidole gumba for thumb, among others. They proved popular, which sparked a desire to explore the visual storytelling possibilities within the presentation of her work. “I would direct the photography of my pieces but that wasn’t cutting it for me so I decided to start working on videos.”

Her next project, 11 Stages of Awakening, was a visuals-heavy editorial and a personal reckoning. “I started it right in the midst of me understanding myself as an artist. The main problem with taking what I do seriously was not knowing if it would be sustainable. I started going for exhibitions and got encouraged, and then thought about where I want to be and what could be possible,” she says.

Kyalo expanded her bold yet elegant jewellery designs with Ode to Adinkra Symbols, a brass and bone line inspired by the Adinkra symbols of the Akan (Ghana) and Gyaman (Cote d’Ivoire) tribes. This morphed into an illustration series by Kenyan visual artist, Edwin Njeru. Her latest project is Duara na Mviringo, which was sparked by a dream. “In Swahili, Duara na Mviringo translates as Circles and Spheres. It’s a deeper exploration on the use of design and structure to create beautiful pieces to adorn the body.”

Kyalo is also big on collaborations, showing her work at pop-up stores by established brands such as Adele Dejak and Love Studio. Last year’s 7 Days in November event saw Kyalo exhibit, run workshops and take part in conversations with five other young artists. However, the internet remains her biggest playing field. “It has propelled independent artists to greater heights. If you put your work out there and are really big on pushing it, that makes a difference.”

The digital sphere has also become a big comfort in this time of Covid-19 quarantine. “Since I can’t go to the studio, I’m thinking of work that doesn’t have to do with my planned projects,” she says. This includes making her own prints which in the past have transformed into curtains, tote bags and other apparel. “My work is my passion. The fact that people appreciate it enough to purchase is just a bonus to me. I never put out anything thinking about sales. It is important but I don’t go with that mentality first. I do stuff that makes me happy first.”

Words Wanjeri Gakuru
Visuals and photography Edwin Njeru

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Published on 13/05/2020