Shifteye is… Zachary Saitoti

Shifteye v. (/ʃɪft aɪ/)

1. A change or replacement in sight or vision

2. A different perspective or angle of view

The self proclaimed King of the Grill or DJ. Artichoke Flio Fartichoke as he likes to be called was severely unimpressive. I’m kidding. I shall expose his DJ-ing Pseudonym as thus because of this statement he made:

Me: Oh, which door is outside? (Looking around hopeless and forlorn)

Zack: Eh, maybe through the door that says EXIT.

Now, lets move on to the good stuff.

It was a bit difficult writing about Shifteye because as we spoke he showed a certain duality. The casual suave- a silly goofy foodie that loves  to tell stories which doesn’t quite match the side of him that’s an immensely talented artist, perhaps a visionary. An artist whose personal ambition could end up fulfilling and uplifting a number of local talent in the arts from Kenya and Africa.

After finally getting a hold of Mr. Saitoti I had the chance to speak to him at his work place- the Shifteye Gallery on Argwings Kodhek road really close to Yaya Centre. The space had an exposed cement floor and white walls that bore an amazing sense of blankness. Kind of like when you were a kid with a new set of crayons or chalk and then you realize: WHITE WALLS.

There was a beautiful cloth and brass ornament that decorated one of the centre pillars of the space that the lovely Wamboi Kay would later explain to me imitated the bark of a tree- and the lights above us its branches and fruit.

Someone say deeeeeep.

We began to talk about what he was doing with the Shifteye gallery and why he felt a need for this space in Nairobi.

Tired of looking for a space that was easily available and affordable to showcase art, Shifteye decided to give artists a space that was exclusively theirs. A place exclusively for artwork that would give opportunity for artists in Kenya and Africa to be seen- without the dreaded strings attached.

The Kenyan art scene delves far deeper that the ornamental soap stone carvings sold to tourists who find the pieces quaint and ‘African’. We spoke about the Kenya Arts Diary as a phenomenal innovation that showcases local talent every year and helps the unsung  underground artist come out to play.

 It’s more like a quality reference book that documents the current Kenyan art scene, complete with contemporary artists’ bios, mug shots and artworks. – Business Daily

Performance art is also showcased at the Shifteye Gallery-  Katungulu Mwendwa collection launch dubbed ‘Dinka Translation’ went down there recently as well as the well known Lady Karun‘s album launch on the release of her solo EP ‘Ladybug’.

He’s also hosted the brilliant  performer Boddhi Satva during an event held at the gallery.

So how did all this start? In high school Shifteye had the usual pressure to follow a path that his parents wanted him to- miles away from the journey he’s on now. When his father saw his talent (shown to him by his high school art teacher) he was sold. Zack was actually really, really good at the whole ‘art’ thing.

It was this leap of faith that saw Zack making the big decision- what he wanted to do with this time. At 17 surrounded by Dj’s and dancers that went by nick names and aliases: Shifteye was born. He picked up a camera and was experimenting with photography when one of his friends at university where he was studying Graphic Design asked him to take pictures of a fashion collection- and he wasn’t half bad at it.

Thus, Shifteye Photography began and he started his second degree in photography- it clearly wasn’t a phase. Research and study of different types of photography and styles makes him really good at what he does- really pushing the boundaries with surrealism in fashion photography.

Zack believes that what it takes to make a good photographer is time, effort, research and practice and only considers a handful of Kenyan photographers good at their craft.

It is really hard for an artist to make money– the cost of putting up a showcase or exhibition drives most artist to increase their prices to cover for the expense of the space, which is a surefire way to NOT sell your work. The Shifteye gallery doesn’t take commission. There’s a thin line between profiting from the art or from the artists. This is an important way artist collaborate apart from ideas and styles and creative workshops and hubs. See Kuona Trust & The Nest

He’s nowhere near where he wants to be

Ask me in ten years what my style is- I’m very far from where I intend to be. I’d love for there to be 5 Shifteye galleries across East Africa. I want to gather artists from all over the country and continent wide to exhibit their work.

Inspiration may come from the lyric of a cool song or a concept from a graphic novel- the high and low points in life.

This guy loves a roast chicken and a good movie. I remember him recommending the film ‘La Heine’ a while back. (It was black and white and in French- tres artsy fartsy)

But because art is subjective- I will not make any judgements, lol. Art is evolving as the world changes- It isn’t bad or good, it’s just different. Shifteye noted that one of the most controversial art awards ‘The Turner Prize’ went to an installation called Work No. 227: The lights going on and off . Quite literally a light turning on, and then off by Martin Creed in 2001.

While shock value seems to dominate modern art- Our very own artists are still interpreting the human condition in a very beautiful way.