PDF-book Kenya Revisited – New Dreams of Gallen-Kallela’s Africa

Online edition in English: Kenya Revisited – New Dreams of Gallen-Kallela’s Africa is a interesting read with rich artwork. The articles illuminate different perspectives to Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s time in Kenya and his art from the era. Book was published along the exhibition in 2023.

“One day I will indeed carry out my travel plans, explore the heartlands of the Equator,
travel to the Africa of my dreams.”

Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s trip to Africa from 1909–1910 is a well-known and fascinating period in his life. Settling in the area around Nairobi, now the capital of Kenya, Gallen-Kallela recorded views of the life and landscapes of what was then British East Africa. The themes and collections related to the journey have now been examined for the first time, with Kenyan actors both in Finland and Kenya!

The themes of the exhibition were examined in joint workshops, covering colonialism, hunting, Kenyan history and the display materials: art and object collections. Kenya Revisited features a large selection of Gallen-Kallela’s paintings and ethnographic and zoological materials collected by him. The exhibition is complemented by background information and experiences of the objects gathered from the Kenyan community.

The book includes articles from art historians, researchers and museum professionals and interviews of the Kenyan community in Finland.

70 pages.

The exhibition and book project has received support from Kone Foundation and the City of Espoo.