Colouring Her Own Way

With bold colours and patterns, Kenyan photographer Thandiwe Muriu highlights the possibilities of embracing a culture whilst simultaneously retaining a strong sense of individuality

WORDS: OSKAR HAMMARKRANTZ, PHOTOGRAPHY: Thandiwe Muriu

To become a lawyer or a doctor. They are, somewhat simplified, the main choices for a young girl growing up in Kenya, if she wants to please her family. However, Thandiwe Muriu chose another path and in following her own dream, has become one of Kenya's most established and renowned female commercial photographers.

Her bright, kaleidoscopic images of models camouflaged in traditional East African textiles are inspired by the fashion photography she saw as a young girl and they send a positive message: Be proud of your heritage, but don’t let your culture swallow you.

“At the time, there were almost no African female photographers I could look up to.

Muriu grew up with three sisters in Kenya's capital Nairobi. One of her elder sisters, a stylist, had a stack of international fashion magazines, mostly Vogue UK. The 14-year-old Thandiwe was soon totally absorbed by the world of fashion photography. Using grill foil as a reflector and borrowing her father’s digital camera, she took her first steps in photography while using her sisters as models. Her best and most trusted teacher in the art of photography was YouTube.

“At the time, there were almost no African female photographers I could look up to. I remember seeing Annie Leibowitz images and thinking, ‘Wow, a female photographer did this.’ In Kenya, photography is considered a technical trade, with computers and lighting, and therefore a man’s job. Later on, I discovered Alexi Lubomirski, who shot Harry and Meghan’s wedding and greatly influenced me.”

Thandiwe’s career picked up speed quickly. After starting shooting weddings, she soon got commercial assignments from international brands such as Rubis, Safaricom, Oriflame, SWVL and Chrome Gin.

“I can still count the female African commercial photographers on one hand. Usually, an international brand flies in a European or American photographer to shoot in Africa. It’s a shame because there is so much talent on our continent.”

“I'd love to become known as the woman who photographs dark-skinned people best.”

In 2015, at the age of 25, Muriu started her most important and recognised project, a series called Camo. The vibrant and colourful images in Camo (short for camouflage) create an optical illusion where the person in the photograph almost disappears, yet it is impossible to ignore her.

Muriu lets her models become totally surrounded by traditional East African fabrics and patterns, creating playful and strong images that at first glance look like fashion photography. But underneath, there is a deeper meaning. “I realised it needs to be fashion photography that reflects who I am and my background. I want to highlight the beauty of the African woman but also raise questions of what beauty really is.”

Muriu has consciously chosen to work with dark-skinned models and thereby challenge the domination of Eurocentric beauty ideals. “Skin bleaching is a common practice in Kenya, as lighter skin is considered more beautiful, but it’s a problem no one talks about. I needed to start celebrating the beauty of my people, so over the years, my work has shifted towards only shooting dark-skinned models and just celebrating the beauty of the African woman. I'd love to become known as the woman who photographs dark-skinned people best.”

“We use plastic bottles and drinking straws to create children’s toys or sunglasses and so on. I wanted to show the creativity that can emerge in poverty.”

Muriu researches historical and traditional Kenyan hairstyles for her images and then gives them a contemporary twist. “It became more than just looking at beauty. It was about asking: ‘What are some of the symbols of beauty that we have lost?’”

Also, accessories like sunglasses play a vital role in Murius’ photographs. “Kenya is a third world country, no doubt. Such poverty and lack of resources leads to great resourcefulness. We use plastic bottles and drinking straws to create children’s toys or sunglasses and so on. I wanted to show the creativity that can emerge in poverty.”

Muriu searches textile factories and markets, hunting for bold, colourful, and sometimes almost psychedelic patterns. The model is almost camouflaged in the patterns but still pops out. “The models are blending in but still burst out. I want to show how you can be different and stand out inside a strong and rich culture. It’s not about abandoning your culture, but finding your own place inside it.”

Another reason Murius’ imagery is so vibrant is, at least partly, to help find a new audience. “My images are playful and I use strong colours so that children can look at and relate to my photographs. I want a ten-year-old girl to see that she can be a photographer or whatever she wants to be, and that dark-skinned women can be beautiful.”

To date, Muriu has created 31 images in her Camo series, and she has no intention of stopping. “It’s an ongoing, hopefully lifelong project. Maybe someday, my photographs can work as an archive for East African textiles and patterns, since they are starting to disappear. In Kenya, we have a strong oral culture but not a strong visual one. Usually, a grandfather or grandmother gathers the children under a tree and tells them stories of the past, but these stories are never written down or recorded. So I hope my images can be a part of our heritage, a reminder of our strong history and culture.”