In a city where opening a traditional gallery is expensive to open and maintain, curator Michael Kainga chose not to wait.

“Do we wait, or do we create a space that we can afford? The Nairobi art scene is growing, and we cannot wait for the perfect gallery,” he says.

Kainga opened the doors of Paper Café for the first time in 2022, an art space located in Westlands. It is in an old one-storey building that also houses The Good Grain Bakery. The exhibitions begin on the ground floor in the bakery and continue into a small upstairs room dedicated to artworks. On Sundays, furniture is cleared in the bakery, and the entire space is a gallery setting.

“Not everyone is at ease walking into a gallery. Alternative spaces are more accessible. Still, if I need to hold a bigger exhibition, I will approach galleries for collaborations,” Kainga says.

Since founding Paper Café, he started by stocking photography books and prints. He has hosted photography book events, including a launch for Painted Frames by West African photographer Malik Sidibé, in partnership with Living Rooms in Ngara and publisher Loose Joints.

He has also extended towards exhibitions in 2025, and currently on view is Still in Transit, a photography exhibition by Joel Lukhovi and Sarah Waiswa that captures the geopolitics of travelling in different countries.

“I make sure that the art is not lost to the background of the bakery by hosting exhibition openings, artist talks, and conversations,” Kainga says.

This way, people who come for coffee find themselves interested in the exhibition, and those who come for the art get to see a space that is not traditionally curated as a gallery.

Westlands is growing to be a favourite place for new and unconventional visual art spaces. Curators and artists are showing art in flexible, non-traditional venues to reach audiences who spontaneously interact with art as they go about their day. Exhibitions now appear in cafés, studios, malls, hotels, gardens, and business spaces.

As it is in Paper Café, photography is getting more visibility and momentum in the visual arts scene, where paintings have long dominated.

The Contemporary Image Centre (CIC), founded in 2025, presents photography in a more intimate and studio-based setting. It is a working studio and an exhibition area, with a focus on photography and image-making.

On April 11, the centre hosted Space to Unfold, a photography slideshow by Fauziah Anyango, which explores afrofuturism, religion, surrealism, and skating culture.

Adam Ibrahim, the founder, says the CIC is located in Westlands because the rent is much more reasonable compared to other areas.

“The spaces are limited, and the rents are high. I decided to start here and expand. I can collaborate with other art spaces, especially on workshops and panel discussions,” he says.

Due to its size, CIC hosts intimate gatherings that attract a small, engaged community of photographers and art enthusiasts. From this setting, art is experienced in a more focused way because of the close interactions of the work, the artist, the space, and the audience.

Launched in February of this year, it was important for curator Mamoun Hussein to place the Nubian Art Gallery inside Stellato Mall, a high-traffic public setting. He says that being inside a mall allows a significant number of people who might not normally visit galleries to encounter art naturally and spontaneously.

Hussein further observes that Westlands is energetic and people constantly move, but when visitors step into the gallery, it all changes. “The space is calm and meditative. This contrast creates a unique experience where people go from the fast pace of the city into a hushed environment where they can slow down and interact with art,” he expresses.

The gallery showcases contemporary artists working in a variety of mediums, including painting, mixed media and photography. The artists featured in their current exhibition are Sudanese artists working in the diaspora, and it is now opening its doors to local artists as well.

Many of the works explore themes such as identity, cultural heritage, resilience, and the human experience, ideas that align with Hussein’s belief that art can have social meanings.

Munyu Space, founded in 2024 and located in the basement of The Mall, is a collaborative and experimental art space that pays attention to the process of making art. The space is unconventional in its design and approach and is stepping away from the expectations of a traditional gallery.

The exhibitions do not always conform to conventional ideas of aesthetic appeal that art is popularly known for. Instead, it gives space for heavier, more experimental themes. The artists have the freedom to explore their practice in their own ways, as seen in The Unfurling of My Abject Rage, by Chela Yego and Cynthia Nyakiro.

Next to it is Creatives Garage, which relocated from Kilimani, showcasing multiple disciplines, including photography, film, theatre, publishing, and so on. It has also exhibited heavy themes in unconventional ways.

Just nearby, artist Cyrus Kabiru is showing an art installation titled Echoes of Memory at the KOFISI Art Gallery, which is on view from March 12 to May 15.

Kabiru explains that he decided to show his work there at KOFISI Art Gallery, which opened in July last year, because Westlands is conveniently accessible. It is relatively settled in terms of infrastructure with limited ongoing construction, he notes.

“Westlands has become an art village and a backbone for art spaces. It is also a home to a growing population of young people who are living comfortably and are now looking for art and are excited to see art in their neighbourhood,” Kabiru says.

Unlike permanent venues, GravitArt Gallery takes its exhibitions to outdoor and alternative spaces such as Peponi Gardens in Westlands and in Gigiri.

“It is a nomadic practice that isn’t influenced by a specific location like Westlands. The gallery operates online and in various locations, including Westlands and Gigiri,” says curator Verónica Paradinas.

Art is also found in hospitality places such as the Hyatt Regency Nairobi, where exhibitions are incorporated into curated cultural and culinary experiences.

Curator Linda Chao Mbugua of Sena Art Gallery and artist Myrna of Myrna Art Direction are currently running an exhibition titled The Art of Connection.

Ongoing through May, it showcases contemporary African art from emerging artists in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, and Nigeria. The project began in more private settings, including at a villa before entering hotel spaces.