emerging artists initiative

PETER IRUNGU

PHOTOGRAPHER

Peter Irungu Is a Kenyan-born, raised and based photographer and digital artist.

He uses a combination of portraiture and documentary photography to show a sense of empathy and dignity in all the subjects he photographs. He is fascinated by stories and human narratives and finds inspiration in the beauty, strengths and uniqueness of regular everyday people.

His work has been featured in international publications and has been displayed in exhibitions around Africa. This project, ‘Shela — A Hat Story’ celebrates the ingenuity of the creative minds of ordinary people just trying to shield themselves from the sun by making hats from everyday things they use and interact with. This work was a collaborative story with fellow photographer, Rey and graphic designer, Basil to include aspects of traditional Swahili design into the photos as part of a celebration of their woodwork mastery.

His other personal projects such as Kioko a young ballerina from the biggest slums in Kenya who now studies at the Royal Ballet School, to Kivuti a talented bespoke silver jewelry maker who chose a unique career outside well-known norms to explore his interests in metallurgy to his most recent project, Yatta, Celebrating women in rural Kenya, who have become master weavers of Kiondo baskets while making baskets as a hobby and during their spare time while preserving and passing on this skill they have learned from their mothers and grandmothers.