Thaddeus Wamukoya, or Tewa as he is popularly known, first made a name for himself as a gallery manager, a role he held for three years. It was during this time that he learnt about curatorial work and built networks with artists, experiences that led to the establishment of Tewas and Patrons in March 2019.
A mobile independent gallery, Tewas and Patrons showcases its work wherever it finds a domicile, marking a bold departure from the dominance of traditional galleries and spaces that have long been the hallmark of Kenya’s art scene.
The move, however, did not happen by chance. It was influenced by what Tewa described as burnout from working in a space that consistently showcased the same work by the same artists because it guaranteed the comfort of sales for galleries. Experimenting with younger, emerging artists was considered a huge risk that most galleries were unwilling to take, but it was precisely in that space that he found his niche.
“I kept seeing it as survival mode whereby you are always showing the same artists that you’re guaranteed of sales and sometimes it doesn’t come from a negative perspective, galleries just want to meet their financial obligations and stay afloat.
I was receiving a lot of applications and submissions from young artists who were looking for opportunities to showcase their work but couldn’t because the galleries didn’t want to experiment with them”, he says.
He left the space and before he started his own, he volunteered in established spaces like Circle Art Gallery which he says introduced him to the secondary market and made him understand the idea of art dealing. While he volunteered, he received offers to join different galleries, which he turned down because he “wanted to get hands-on experience interacting with artists in their studios and understanding the gist of the art market.”
Tewa demystified the notion that one needs a physical space to start the business of a gallery. Having interacted with the art scene in Nairobi, Kampala and Juba, he felt convinced that a permanent physical space was a luxury. Besides, he had had grown tired of the administrative duties that came with working in a gallery. What he really enjoyed was selling art.
“I was really good at sales. In my previous gallery job, I had sold an artwork to the then first lady Margaret Kenyatta in a very impromptu manner. She was just coming to visit a friend in the café next to the gallery and I ended up selling her some pieces. That gave me the confidence to start my own practice,”
Tewa then moved to art studios with a photographer to take pictures, have conversations and publish newsletters. Whenever he published these newsletters to his small following of collectors and art enthusiasts, he would also attach art catalogues he was selling in the email. Sales were scarce in his first year of practice and he only survived because of loyal collectors who would pay upfront.
What really pushed me for that first year was passion. We did a lot of newsletters and online catalogs. I would then show up in art studios and just speak art. I familiarised myself with the art scene in Nairobi, so mine is not the typical story whereby you get capital the start your business. Mine began from building a community, an audience and then now later on now I started now meeting potential partners and investors. When I was starting, I used to read a lot and I remember reading about an European gallerist who made her first profit after 20 years. I could relate.”
Thaddeus Wamukoya (Tewa) giving a talk at an art event in Nairobis Village Market in June.
Photo credit: Pool
Being independent for Tewa has been all about balance. In the seven years of his practice, he has gathered important lessons.
“It is good to be surrounded by collectors who believe in the vision, and artists that can stand with you in difficult times. This is why some galleries have a list of artists they work exclusive with, because of the guarantee of sales. I had to become all-rounded.
“I am a consultant and I offer a lot of advisory for growing art collections mostly to seasoned and young collectors. I also advise on where to start and how to invest properly. For older collectors looking to invest in the younger emerging artists I offer guided tours and advisories. Aside from that, I offer a lot of shipping and customs related advisory for people who want to ship art.”
Tewa earns commissions from curating his shows, which varies from 20 to 40 per cent of the sales depending on whether it is a partnership or a solo project. With artists, his model of working differs from that of the traditional galleries because he isn’t interested in tying them down to long term exclusive contracts.
“What I learnt from working with galleries is that the system is highly exclusive. Galleries always want to be in control of prices and who has access to an artist. This can even mean tying an artist down to a contract of up to 10 years, so half the time artists are limited to only one channel of exhibition. My contracts with artists are project-based, and even then I don’t do exclusive arrangements. I like letting artists have multiple channels of exhibition because I believe that when an artist is selling through other dealers, the competition is healthy. And when there’s healthy competition, the value of the art also rises,” he says.
Curatorial work especially as an independent gallerist is not without its fair share of hurdles.
“If you approach a gallery for a curatorial job, you might never find one that wants to hire a curator because, in Nairobi, the market is still small. Most galleries also see curators as competition. This is something I have experienced before. The market here cannot sustain an independent curator, so if you want to survive, you have to get into dealing, sales, consultancy, and advisory work as well.
“As an independent curator, the least I have made from a negative is Sh200,000. When I’m doing shows my hope is always to break even, which means to make enough sales to pay rent, to pay my assistants and the framers, and the transport. In 2023 I did a show in Miami, and I felt the profit after six months, when some of the collectors who saw my work in Miami visited Nairobi and bought pieces from the show in Miami. On the flipside, an independent curator can make as much as Sh700,000 on a really good show, but it is a career with a lot of financial risk.”
Tewa believes the market needs to position itself for the regional and global market, but that can only happen when all stakeholders come together.
“When I look at markets that are doing well—Nigeria, West Africa as a whole, and South Africa—I think they first looked inward before they expanded. That’s why I’m restructuring. I’m looking beyond Nairobi, I’m thinking regionally,” he says.
