Nairobi Gallery's Curves in Colour show: Ciru Ivy paints women of different shapes and sizes

Painter Ciru Ivy, who says she has been plus-size most of her life, shows portraits of women of different shapes and sizes in "Curves in Colour", a four-artist exhibition at Nairobi Gallery, Business Daily reported on 8 October 2026.

"I have been plus-size most of my life so I know some problems we face," Ivy said, as quoted by Business Daily. The portraits began on a holiday, where she "noticed many women in different shapes and sizes" and "wanted to celebrate them by doing their portraits", she said.

Nairobi Gallery stands at the Kenyatta Avenue and Uhuru Highway roundabout, next to Nyayo House, according to the National Museums of Kenya (NMK), whose fee notice lists it among its heritage facilities. Business Daily's photographs, taken there on 30 September 2026 by Billy Ogada of Nation Media Group, show visitors looking at paintings. Three other artists share the show: Sylvia Oloo, Wayne Oloo and Ian Ngethe.

Explaining the title, Ivy said: "I love loud colours and I didn't want to limit myself. So curves in colour fits my theme and style."

Business Daily's Edna Mwenda names five of her portraits, "Tabitha", "Emiliy", "Mwende", "Nafula" and "Nyambura", priced at the show at between KSh 18,000 and KSh 50,000. "Nyambura" shows a woman in a bikini. Ivy said she "showed the confidence rather than insecurities in the pieces".

The hourglass painting is priced at about KSh 140,000. It shows a woman from behind on an apartment terrace in what Business Daily says appears to be Nairobi's Westlands, looking towards the Kenyatta International Convention Centre. "The hourglass is a shape women have wanted since the 90s and I think this piece is kind of affirming," Ivy said.

"Anyone can aim for the body they want but trends keep changing," she said, adding: "It's better to concentrate on health."

Her own view of her body has shifted, she said. "I have always thought I was huge when in fact I was average." She gained weight in adulthood and has tried to lose it "for health reasons". She recalled going to a gym in an outfit that showed her tummy: "I felt so insecure doing yoga with my tummy all out." She said she hopes "to inspire creatives and encourage them to portray real women".

Sylvia Oloo works from a different starting point. "I wanted to focus on black women," she said, as quoted by Business Daily. She sets beads, African fabrics and colour against dark figures. In "Outside My Window", an African woman sits by a window, and beyond it lies a concrete jungle with no nature. The painting sold for KSh 55,000.

Sylvia Oloo singled out "The Colour Tunnel". "I saw someone shed a tear when they saw my piece," she said, and called it "one of my best pieces, because many relate to it".

Wayne Oloo, who also exhibits, chose to focus on the emotions behind body positivity, Business Daily wrote. If looking into the world "regardless of image or colour can evoke sadness, nostalgia, hope, authenticity and more", he asks, "then why shouldn't our bodies?"

Ian Ngethe paints cars. "Through my car paintings, I depict the automobile as more than a machine," he said, calling it a symbol of "personality, aspiration, freedom and the different journeys we take through life". For this show, he said, "I was drawn to the idea of celebrating form beyond the human body."

Nairobi Gallery is open from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm every day, including public holidays, according to the NMK fee notice. Admission is KSh 300 for adults and KSh 200 for children for Kenyan and East African citizens. Residents and visitors from the rest of Africa pay KSh 600 for adults and KSh 400 for children, a rate the notice leaves unchanged. Visitors from outside Africa pay US$14 for adults and US$7 for children, The Star reported on 7 May 2026, when the revised fees took effect. The notice lists NMK's eCitizen page, nmkpay.ecitizen.go.ke.

The NMK website says temporary art exhibitions are held in the gallery's art space every three months. It lists the gallery's curator, Millicent Ochieng, as its contact, on +254 722 269 434.