Dust to Form Exhibition

Dust to Form is a powerful charcoal and paper exhibition that traces the arc of mentorship through three generations of artists. At its heart is the enduring relationship between master and student—how knowledge, technique, and vision are passed down, reshaped, and reimagined through time.

Renowned Kenyan artist Patrick Mukabi (b. 1969), a cornerstone of East African contemporary art, presents work alongside his protégé Jimmy Kitheka (b. 1999)—and in a compelling continuation of the cycle, Kitheka’s own student joins them in this visual conversation.

Working solely in charcoal and paper, the artists reveal the raw poetry of line, shadow, and gesture. Charcoal—fragile, elemental, and expressive—becomes a symbol of both impermanence and transformation. Each stroke becomes a whisper of legacy, every smudge a bridge between generations.

This exhibition is not merely about technique—it is about trust, growth, and the invisible threads that connect teacher to student, idea to execution, dust to form. Through a shared medium and a shared lineage, Dust to Form invites us to witness the power of mentorship as an artistic force—one that shapes not just works of art, but the artists themselves.