SOS ART Kenya has new date

𝐒𝐎𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 -𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫.
After being postponed with respect to Ralia Odinga & his passing, The Opening Date is set: 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫-

Along with the new date we will be sharing additional events to push 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 & 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 to the forefront. We will be hosting more community events & adjusting the SOS ART Kenya 2025 to be more than just an Art Exhibition -Growing the event as the 𝐒𝐎𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 -𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐄𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫. After being postponed from the 18th of October, with respect to Ralia Odinga & his passing, 

We all know Odinga's passing will be bringing changes - 'We may not know what they are but we expect change'.  Our shifts will be celebrating where we are and where we as a community will be going. – Jamey & Pato

𝐒𝐎𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 -𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐄𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫.
Art Exhibition & Fair- A new annual large-scale exhibition/fair sharing works about Peace & Justice. This show will be the largest exhibition that 𝑯𝑶𝑭 𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝑲𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒂 has presented & will be in spaces throughout the 𝑲𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒂 𝑨𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒕. Many ongoing & scheduled events will be included in this effort throughout the balance of the year including a revised 𝐊𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 & 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 set for mid December & tribute to the late Raila Odinga.

SOS Art Kenya is a new annual large-scale exhibition/fair sharing works about Peace & Justice. This show will be the largest exhibition that HoF Gallery Kibera has presented & will be in spaces throughout theKibera Arts District. For those in Nairobi, Kenya- this really will be a wonderful art experience. Laid back fun with 8 spaces full of art. From 5pm to 7pm you will also enjoy street performances.This is a free event and everyone is welcome. Use the ‘HOF Gallery Kibera’ or ‘Kibera Arts District’ Google pins and it will take you right to the center of the arts district. KAD Ambassadors will have blue safety vests and can help you to park or assist with any needs.

There will be great art works to experience and of course most will be for purchase. A full schedule of events including Artists Talks, Art Collectors Forum, Dinner in the Gallery, Poetry, Spoken Word, Street Performances & more. We will even be hosting a 'Time Machine' where you can save your thoughts to be shared back to you in the future. We will be hosting more community events & adjusting the SOS ART Kenya 2025 to be more than just an Art Exhibition.

Kenya has been in a space of change and we as KAD/HOF want to be leaders in helping the change be the best it can be for all not just in Kibera, but Kenya, Africa and the Globe.

Please stick with us as we announce the balance of the year. Scary to make changes but it feels good and exciting. Let us celebrate, not hold back. Now is the time to stand and hold on to the values Odinga pushed and more so the values people believe in. From the crowds at the viewings and funeral it is clear, Odinga' might be playing an even larger role as an idea than he even did as a living person.

Let us see what is to come and be a part of it.
~ Jamey & Pato

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UPDATES: Our apologies for this post being so complicated, but it was a very tough time for Kibera and Kenya. The passing of Odinga left things in a very very very uncertain space. The original date of opening the exhibition was set for 18th October, Odinga passed away on the 15th October and that set things off for a rocky path or potential to one. To put things in perspective for those not from Kenya, you need to understand how all in Kenya felt. Stomachs dropped to our knees and people knew unrest and violence could erupt if the government made one wrong step.

That moment was more than scary- as the nes came and it came fast, every shop in the Kibera Arts District including all of our spaces locked the doors and closed. If you were eating in the cafe you ran home or you were locked in with a feeling of extreme caution. Even schools quickly rushed to send kids home as soon as possible. I hope that paints the picture. Interesting enough the show was so much about what we were experiencing at this moment of time. Tis is a much larger conversation for another time and please feel free to reach out and ask when you visit us next. We love storytelling and sharing truth.

Nextstep as kids are being pushed out of the school. the cafes locked the doors was for us to make a decision of ‘What Now’. We quickly decided we must postpone but when do we share it and for how long. Ironically- when we first heard the news of his passing we had just posted the minute before a social post across all of our platforms the minute before. within 90 minutes we had posted the EVENT POSTPONED update. The day was unsettling. the week was the same but things calmed quickly and thankfully the government this time did things well. Somehitng we seldom see. Odinga was buried quickly but trust us this was a very scary time in Kenya per there was a fuse that was ready to not just light but truly explode. the fuel and the matches were in many peoples hands. Overall things went way better than I think anyone expected. That doe snot say people were not killed by police- they were. things did go wrong but they were managed,

We took time to see what was to come of it and we waited until Odinga was laid to rest to announce the new dates, we even waited a few more days to be sure peace was still in the future. the announcement of the new date came out 22nd October- New dates set for 1st November. Lots of scheduling to adjust and now more than two weeks lost in the years already busy scheduling.

We made things happen and they happened big- Even Odinga’s passing became part of the community conversations, leadership meetings and even a memorial mural being added in the Kibera Arts District on the only ODM (the political party Odinga led) building in the Kibera Arts District. We rally want to say thanks to everyone who made it for the opening of SOS Art Kenya 2025 ad the many many events within the exhibition & fair. The exhibition was scheduled to be open until 14th December. We extended the opening through 15th January -hosting over 2,,600 guest to the Kibera Arts Distirt experiencing the the SOS show.

The show will become an annual event for us as our only Open Call exhibition. Our first event hosted over 110 artists and over 330 works. See what the second edition of SOS ART Kenya 2026 brings.

Galleries are open everyday 7 days a week from 10am to 7pm.

For more information:
𝑃𝑎𝑡𝑜 𝑂𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑜, 𝑣𝑖𝑎 𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒- 𝟤𝟧𝟦 𝟩𝟦𝟣 𝟦𝟦𝟥 𝟨𝟩𝟪
𝐽𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑦 𝑃𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒, 𝑣𝑖𝑎 𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑙- 𝑗𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑦@ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑦𝑎.𝑐𝑜𝑚
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