Biography

Anthony Okello

Anthony Okello is one of Kenya’s leading contemporary painters. Born in 1976, he lives and works in Nairobi. He studied at the Buruburu Institute of Fine Art before moving to the Kuona Trust Artists’ Studios in 2004, where he worked alongside a generation of influential Kenyan artists.

Okello’s practice is rooted in storytelling, mythology and social observation. His paintings bring together human and animal figures in richly imagined, allegorical worlds inspired by the mythologies and cosmologies of Kenyan communities, particularly the Luo, Kikuyu and Taita. His celebrated Masquerade Series explores identity, disguise and the tension between outward appearance and hidden intentions, while other bodies of work have engaged with political and social realities through humour, symbolism and satire.

Working primarily in oil on canvas, Okello has developed a highly distinctive visual language, characterised by expressive figures, complex symbolism and a carefully considered use of colour, light and shadow. His paintings invite viewers to look beyond their often humorous or fantastical surfaces to discover deeper reflections on human behaviour, cultural identity, power, loss and the complexities of contemporary life.

Over more than two decades, Okello has exhibited extensively in Kenya and internationally, including in France, India, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. His work has been shown at the Heong Gallery at Downing College, Cambridge, and has appeared in international art auctions, including Bonhams in London. His paintings are held in significant private and corporate collections in Kenya and abroad.

Okello remains an important and influential voice in

East African contemporary art.