{ "142791-21891581": { "datetime_modified":"20251216T100358", "datetime_start":"20260226T090000", "datetime_end":"20260226T170000", "has_end_time":1, "date_start":"2026-02-26", "date_end":"2026-02-26", "time_start":"09:00:00", "time_end":"17:00:00", "time_zone":"America\/Detroit", "event_title":"Tukilile Vaa", "occurrence_title":"", "combined_title":"Tukilile Vaa: An exhibition by Kaloki Nyamai", "event_subtitle":"An exhibition by Kaloki Nyamai", "event_type":"Exhibition", "event_type_id":"7", "description":"Kaloki Nyamai is a multidisciplinary artist based in Nairobi. His practice explores Kenya's histories and collective memory, blending Kamba traditions with contemporary narratives. Using acrylic paint, rope, photo transfers, and stitched yarn, his free-hanging immersive works blur the boundaries between painting, sculpture, and installation. For his U-M project, Nyamai will present one large unstretched piece and two framed paintings at the Institute for the Humanities, as well as a second free-hanging work at the U-M Museum of Art.\r\n\r\nThe physicality of his complex constructions inspire wonder in the viewer. The works are vast in scale, embedded with stories, where past and future merge both poetically and conceptually. In each composition, the artist proposes a powerful alternative to the flatness of singular narratives of Kenyan history and identity presented as the definitive postcolonial account. He likens the formal act of stitching to symbolically unifying a wounded or fractured community.\r\n\r\nNyamai founded the Kamene Cultural & Research Center in Nairobi, a creative and collaborative hub dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and innovation of African cultural practices.\r\n\r\nAbout the artist:\r\nKaloki Nyamai (*1985 in Kitui, Kenya) is a multidisciplinary artist working with installation, painting, and sculpture based in Nairobi. From an early age, his mother introduced him to painting and taught him to draw, fostering an ever-lasting interest in art throughout his life. He often finds inspiration in his grandmother\u2019s stories of the Kamba people, a Bantu ethnic group of eastern Kenya. Using materials like acrylic paint, sisal rope, photo transfers, and stitched yarn, Nyamai\u2019s free-hanging pieces evoke the healing of historical wounds and a collective yearning for renewal. His works blur the boundaries between painting, sculpture, and installation, creating cohesive, immersive experiences where past, present, and future converge poetically.\r\n\r\nNyamai studied Interior Design at the Buruburu Institute Of Fine Arts (BIFA) and then pursued painting after working in other creative fields. His large-scale paintings and mixed-media installations intricately explore historical narratives, examining their resonance in the present. Nyamai has shown his work across the globe in solo exhibitions at the Norval Foundation, Cape Town (2024); James Cohan Gallery, New York (2024); Galerie Barbara Thumm, Berlin (2023 and 2022); SEPTIEME Gallery, Paris (2019), and other venues. In 2023, he featured part of his series Dining in Chaos in the \u201cUnlimited\u201d section at Art Basel in Basel. He has participated in group exhibitions and biennials, most recently at the Sharjah Biennial 16, Sharjah (2025); The V\u00f6lklinger H\u00fctte, V\u00f6lklingen (2024); the Kenyan Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, Venice (2022); and the Dakar Biennale (2022). His works are part of numerous private and institutional collections around the world, such as the Dallas Art Museum, the Southern African Foundation for Contemporary Art, and the Arthur Primas Museum.", "occurrence_notes":null, "guid":"142791-21891581@events.umich.edu", "permalink":"http:\/\/events.umich.edu\/event\/142791", "building_id":"1005179", "building_name":"202 S. Thayer", "campus_maps_id":"524", "room":"Institute for the Humanities Gallery", "location_name":"202 S. Thayer", "has_livestream":0, "cost":"", "tags":["Art","Visual Arts","Humanities","Exhibition"], "website":"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/umichhumanities\/", "sponsors":[ { "group_name":"Institute for the Humanities", "group_id":"1130", "website":"http:\/\/www.lsa.umich.edu\/humanities" } ], "image_url":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/attachments\/2025\/12\/event_142791_original-1.jpg", "styled_images":{ "event_thumb":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_thumb\/media\/attachments\/2025\/12\/event_142791_original-1.jpg", "event_large":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_large\/media\/attachments\/2025\/12\/event_142791_original-1.jpg", "event_large_2x":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_large_2x\/media\/attachments\/2025\/12\/event_142791_original-1.jpg", "event_large_lightbox":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_large_lightbox\/media\/attachments\/2025\/12\/event_142791_original-1.jpg", "group_thumb":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/group_thumb\/media\/attachments\/2025\/12\/event_142791_original-1.jpg", "group_thumb_square":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/group_thumb_square\/media\/attachments\/2025\/12\/event_142791_original-1.jpg", "group_large":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/group_large\/media\/attachments\/2025\/12\/event_142791_original-1.jpg", "group_large_lightbox":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/group_large_lightbox\/media\/attachments\/2025\/12\/event_142791_original-1.jpg", "event_large_crop":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_large_crop\/media\/attachments\/2025\/12\/event_142791_original-1.jpg", "event_list":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_list\/media\/attachments\/2025\/12\/event_142791_original-1.jpg", "event_list_2x":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_list_2x\/media\/attachments\/2025\/12\/event_142791_original-1.jpg", "event_grid":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_grid\/media\/attachments\/2025\/12\/event_142791_original-1.jpg", "event_grid_2x":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_grid_2x\/media\/attachments\/2025\/12\/event_142791_original-1.jpg", "event_feature_large":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_feature_large\/media\/attachments\/2025\/12\/event_142791_original-1.jpg", "event_feature_thumb":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_feature_thumb\/media\/attachments\/2025\/12\/event_142791_original-1.jpg" }, "occurrence_count":33, "first_occurrence":21891538 } , "145894-21898016": { "datetime_modified":"20260225T110135", "datetime_start":"20260226T100000", "datetime_end":"20260226T110000", "has_end_time":1, "date_start":"2026-02-26", "date_end":"2026-02-26", "time_start":"10:00:00", "time_end":"11:00:00", "time_zone":"America\/Detroit", "event_title":"\"We're in Survival Mode\": Russia's War of Aggression and the Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine", "occurrence_title":"", "combined_title":"\"We're in Survival Mode\": Russia's War of Aggression and the Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine", "event_subtitle":"", "event_type":"Lecture \/ Discussion", "event_type_id":"13", "description":"CREES is pleased to co-sponsor an Amnesty International webinar organized by our alumna, Judith Kullberg (PhD Political Science '92), who is the Russia Country Specialist for Amnesty International USA.\n\nPlease register for this Zoom event at https:\/\/myumi.ch\/Z2VQX\n \n Background\n \n Over the last four years, Russian attacks have severely damaged Ukraine's energy infrastructure, causing widespread disruption of essential services and profound hardship for the Ukrainian people. In this webinar, Amnesty International researchers and campaigners in Ukraine and London will explore multiple dimensions of the current humanitarian crisis and analyze it from the perspectives of international human rights and international humanitarian law. The webinar will include time for panelists to address questions from webinar participants and conclude with an overview of actions that participants can take to stand in solidarity with Ukrainians as the war continues into a fifth year.\n \n Panelists: Anna Wright, Ukraine Researcher, Amnesty International, London; Lera Burlakova, Ukraine Campaigns and Media Coordinator, Amnesty International, Kyiv &Democracy Fellow, Center for European Policy and Analysis, Washington, D.C.; Veronika Puhach, Head of Human Rights Education, Amnesty International Ukraine; Benjamin Linden, Advocacy Director, Europe and Central Asia, Amnesty International USA, Washington, D.C. Moderator: Judith Kullberg (PhD Political Science '92), Russia Country Specialist, Amnesty International USA & Professor Emerita, Eastern Michigan University.\n\nPhoto credit: Ihor Kuznietsov\/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images", "occurrence_notes":null, "guid":"145894-21898016@events.umich.edu", "permalink":"http:\/\/events.umich.edu\/event\/145894", "building_id":"null", "building_name":"Off Campus Location", "campus_maps_id":"1", "room":"", "location_name":"Virtual", "has_livestream":1, "livestream_type":"other", "livetream_require_login":0, "livestream_id":"", "livestream_link":"", "cost":"", "tags":["russia","ukraine"], "website":"", "sponsors":[ { "group_name":"Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies", "group_id":"3097", "website":"http:\/\/www.ii.umich.edu\/crees" }, { "group_name":"International Institute", "group_id":"1968", "website":"http:\/\/www.ii.umich.edu" }, { "group_name":"Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia", "group_id":"3111", "website":"http:\/\/www.ii.umich.edu\/wcee" } ], "image_url":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_145894_original-1.png", "styled_images":{ "event_thumb":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_thumb\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_145894_original-1.png", "event_large":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_large\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_145894_original-1.png", "event_large_2x":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_large_2x\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_145894_original-1.png", "event_large_lightbox":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_large_lightbox\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_145894_original-1.png", "group_thumb":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/group_thumb\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_145894_original-1.png", "group_thumb_square":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/group_thumb_square\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_145894_original-1.png", "group_large":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/group_large\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_145894_original-1.png", "group_large_lightbox":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/group_large_lightbox\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_145894_original-1.png", "event_large_crop":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_large_crop\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_145894_original-1.png", "event_list":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_list\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_145894_original-1.png", "event_list_2x":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_list_2x\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_145894_original-1.png", "event_grid":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_grid\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_145894_original-1.png", "event_grid_2x":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_grid_2x\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_145894_original-1.png", "event_feature_large":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_feature_large\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_145894_original-1.png", "event_feature_thumb":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_feature_thumb\/media\/attachments\/2026\/02\/event_145894_original-1.png" }, "occurrence_count":1, "first_occurrence":21898016 } }