Kairos Futura Reshapes Eco-Consciousness as a Crucial Part of African Futurism
Future Fantasy #4. AI generated silkscreen prints of the future of Nairobi. Kairos Futura created these as a team working with AI to generate over 1000 future utopia images of Nairobi. Twenty were converted to silkscreen prints and exhibited in Hakuna Utopia. Courtesy of Kairos Futura
Kairos Futura, an arts-focused futurism organization, presents Hakuna Utopia? In Search of Micro-Utopias, featuring seven Nairobi-based artists: Ajax Axe, Abdul Rop, Shabu Mwangi, Lincoln Mwangi, Stoneface Bombaa, Neemo Mungai, and Coltrane McDowell. Exploring ecological injustice, resilience, and the apocalypse, the multi-location exhibition expands the boundaries of ecological activism in contemporary art.
Eco-consciousness has long been a big part of the conversations about African futurism; however, the discourses around it usually stem from an imaginative lens, rather than exploring what communities and cities are already building. Kairos Futura wants this to change, aiming for a results-driven approach that identifies and spotlights underrepresented eco-conscious cities in Kenya. Their work reveals that the “ideal” African future already exists and can be easily modeled. Using distinctive paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, and site-specific installations across satellite locations, Hakuna Utopia? unveils ecological futures in simple yet powerful forms.
I sat with Ajax Axe, the project's lead coordinator, to gain a nuanced understanding of the collective’s objectives for the exhibition.
The Utopia Map, which allows participants to visit different micro-utopias around Nairobi and different states of mind. Courtesy of Kairos Futura
Chidinma Divine Iwu: Why is it important that Kairos Futura focuses on highlighting existing micro-utopias in Nairobi to create eco-consciousness, rather than imagining future possibilities?
Ajax Axe: In Nairobi, there is a lot of focus on what's not working. Thinking about what is working here gives us hope and a glimpse of what's possible, rather than a fantasy.
CDI: In what ways do you see social and ecological injustices intersecting in Nairobi, and how are these reflected in the exhibition?
AA: The divide between wealthy and poor neighborhoods in the city is also the divide between lush, green spaces and places where there is almost no nature remaining. It's impossible in Nairobi to discuss social justice without addressing ecological justice, because the most underserved neighborhoods are also the most ecologically damaged ones. Lincoln Mwangi's paintings show the layers of landscapes in the city and how the mountains and forests are inaccessible to people in the poorest parts of the city.
Lincoln Mwangi working on The Utopia Within. Courtesy of Kairos Futura
CDI: Can you share a specific example of a micro-utopia in Nairobi that you've mapped? Why does it stand out as a model for the future?
AA: There's a park in a neighborhood called Lucky Summer built by a community group in an ecologically sensitive area. They use it for youth engagement, and the community manages the park and its programs. They've proven that regreening parts of the city that have experienced ecological collapse is possible and shown how much it can benefit the community when it's done right.
CDI: What challenges did you face in translating the concepts of resilience and eco-consciousness into an artistic format that resonates with the public?
AA: Finding ways to make the work inspiring rather than pessimistic can be tough when looking at some of the issues in the city. We really tried to focus on transcendence in this exhibition rather than suffering.
Ajax Axe. Utopia Chair #2 (2024). Mixed media sculpture. Axe transformed school chairs, a symbol of systemic suffering for young people in Kenya, into playful installations meant to inspire pleasure and curiosity. Courtesy of Kairos Futura
Installation view of Hakuna Utopia. Courtesy of Kairos Futura
CDI: How do you imagine that this exhibition will contribute to the redefinition of the role art plays in activism, particularly in the context of African futures?
AA: We are trying to redefine what it means to be artists and engage with our communities. People tend to bring artists into projects to make murals or posters after a project has been ideated. We hope to see artists becoming change agents in their communities, having a seat at the table in creating exciting visions for local futures, and executing projects from the ground up. We are focused on local futurism. Africa is so diverse. The idea of having only one vision for the future homogenizes the incredible cultural diversity on the continent.
CDI: Do you believe the map of eco-conscious cities you're developing will change the narrative around Afrofuturism and ecological activism?
AA: We hope the map will empower and strengthen the micro-utopias that are highlighted and inspire the use of maps as a form of creative activism for engaging and connecting people.
CDI: How do the themes of futurism and environmental health coexist and complement each other in your work?
AA: Reconnecting with local cultures when envisioning the future is also about reconnecting with our local ecology. It's about reconnecting with how our cultures have evolved within specific environments. Building a vision for a local future is also about living in a relationship with the land where the community exists.
Kairos team members shooting a short film at one of the Micro-Utopia locations, The Temple in Lucky Summer. Courtesy of Kairos Futura
CDI: What’s the role that local knowledge, communities, people, and traditions play in shaping these micro-utopias? How are they represented in your work?
AA: All of the micro-utopias except The Arboretum and the library are locally created and managed places. Several of the artists including Stoneface Bombaa, Shabu Mwangi, and Lincoln Mwangi are from the communities that we're highlighting, and their work is informed by their lived experience. Different tribal traditions are reflected in their work, as the collective has members from four different tribes in Kenya. Moreover, the micro-utopias are in neighborhoods with different tribal majorities.
CDI: How do you see the concept of African futures evolve through the lens of ecological activism, and how will this exhibition contribute to that evolution?
AA: Here we are looking at the real challenges and opportunities on the ground for communities. We ask questions like: How can local solutions address people’s problems and create new possibilities for their shared futures? Within that context, it is impossible to ignore how climate change and climate collapse are impacting not only culture, but also the viability of inhabiting some regions of Kenya. For that reason, ecological justice and resilience have become key issues in discussing the future here.
CDI: How do you ensure that your artistic representations of these micro-utopias remain accessible and relevant to a diverse audience?
AA: Hope, the beauty of nature, and the joy of creativity are universal human values that make it possible for anyone to appreciate and celebrate the great potential that exists in communities.
CDI: What do you envision to be the next step for Kairos Futura after this exhibition, in terms of advancing the global dialogue on eco-consciousness?
AA: We are focused on expanding our future workshops here in Nairobi and also working on a new project called the Safari Studio. We want to offer local future visioning workshops for rural communities as well as local material and design innovation workshops. We have several developing partnerships with universities in Germany, Canada, and the US, and we're planning a pilot project in Namibia for 2025. We plan to work with the people there on developing their own visions and immersive storytelling experiences about the future for the San people in Northeastern Namibia.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
