Shoppers at Nairobi’s busy The Mall, are encountering more than sales and coffee runs this week—they are stepping into a haunting yet powerful art installation that confronts one of Kenya’s most pressing crises: femicide.
The Femicide Exhibit, curated by grassroots collective Maskani, transforms a section of the mall into a striking gallery space. Walls are lined with portraits, personal items, and timelines of women whose lives were brutally cut short. In the center, symbolic displays—blood-red fabric draped across empty chairs, cracked mirrors, and a ticking clock—invite visitors to reflect on the urgency of the issue.
Maskani’s goal is simple but ambitious: to bring the conversation about gender-based violence out of closed rooms and onto the main stage of public life.
Stepping into MASKAN feels like walking into another world—an ethereal yet harrowing realm cloaked in white fog. Mannequins in nightgowns drenched with brownish stains give way to nooses, muddy footprints, and a tumbled bed marked with signs of violence and mourning.It appears as a crime scene simultaneously coming across as a sacred memorial.
Each nightgown bears the name, age, and location of a woman killed, accompanied by her portrait, a description of her death, and white roses reminiscent of a funeral’s final farewell.By naming victims and presenting their stories in a visceral way, MASKAN breaks down the anonymity of statistics. Numbers become faces, and sorrow feels personal.
Visually and emotionally intense, the exhibit urges visitors to feel—not just think—about the impact of systemic gender-based violence.
The installation amplifies existing momentum from street protests and digital campaigns advocating for femicide as a distinct crime.
Maskani, known for merging art and advocacy, has previously staged pop-up poetry nights, street murals, and community dialogues in informal settlements. This exhibit marks their most public and high-profile intervention yet.
The Femicide Exhibit will run through 18th July 11am -5pm, with special evening programs featuring survivor testimonies, panel discussions with activists, and live performances.
