Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 100 x 100 cm
unframed
Certificate of authenticity from the artist
The work of Michael Soi, one of Kenya's most important contemporary artists, is a bold social commentary on Nairobi's urban culture. The artist uses the language of pop art and African street art, combining the aesthetics of advertising, the simplicity of a poster and the expression of folk symbolism.
Massage, SPA takes the form of a pastiche of urban signage - referring to the visual language of street advertising in Nairobi. The artist ironically comments on the commercialization of the body and the eroticization of the female image in public space, while creating an energetic, humorous and colorful narrative about modern Africa.
The painting is an excellent example of Michael Soi's style, in which strong contour, bright colors, simplified figures and play with text serve to reflect on social stereotypes, identity and urbanization. Soi creates a contemporary African iconography of urbanization and the related phenomena of sex work and corruption.
