Some projects are born from a business plan.
And then there are others that are born from a memory.
NIA Artisans belongs to the second category.
The memory of a place I first encountered in the early 2000s, when I was fourteen, and which has never really stopped accompanying me since.
I discovered Kenya at that age.
Malindi, the white beaches, the atolls that emerge at low tide near the coral reef, the fishermen who set off at dawn, and the small colorful boats that, a few hours later, take tourists among the fish and corals of the Indian Ocean.
Around there, the motto is pole pole: slowly, slowly.
Always accompanied by sincere smiles.
Landscapes that stay with you
PHOTO: Malindi Marine Park under the March sky
PHOTO: Atolls and tides
Malindi is just one part of the Kenya I carry within me.
A little further north are the golden beaches of Che Shale, reachable by passing through villages where children run to meet cars, greeting the musungu — the white man — hoping for a sweet or a few shillings to take home to their parents.
These are simple scenes, but they leave a lasting impression.
Because Kenya is also a difficult country.
A place where poverty is real and where rules are often fragile.
Beauty and hardship coexist in the same space.
A Kenya full of stories
VIDEO: Horseman in action on the golden beaches between Mambrui and Che Shale
PHOTO: Luigi Broglio Space Center
PHOTO: Marafa, the Canyon of Kenya and its millennia-old legend
A few kilometers from Malindi
- the golden beaches of Mambrui and Che Shale.
- and Marafa, known as the devil's kitchen: a canyon of red sandstone carved by wind and time, accompanied by an ancient legend.
Not far away is also the Luigi Broglio Space Center, the Italian base in Malindi now managed by the Italian Space Agency.
From here, satellite data is received and space missions of agencies like NASA, ESA, CNES, and many commercial operators are tracked.
A fragment of Italy in the heart of the Kenyan coast.
VIDEO: The mini-film about Nia Artisans
This is where NIA Artisans comes from
From a memory.
From an emergency.
From a conviction.
The conviction that there is authentic talent that often emerges precisely from difficulties.
Like that of Stejoh and Pendeza, artists with real stories to tell.
Because art is not born in a vacuum.
It is born from memory, from wounds, from the places and lives we pass through.
Without personal experience, art simply cannot exist.
The future of NIA Artisans (somewhere in Milan...)
AI: NIA soon in Milan with a physical space
In this initial phase, artworks can be purchased exclusively online and shipped directly from Malindi.
The canvases are shipped rolled, carefully protected and sealed, to ensure maximum safety during transport. Once they arrive in Italy, they will naturally need to be framed, an operation that can be done independently or through our trusted framer.
For those in Milan, some pieces from the collection are available for viewing by appointment by writing to:
📩 j@niaartisans.com
📱 WhatsApp: +39 327 8190424
Soon, NIA Artisans will also begin a new phase: a physical space in Milan where it will be possible to see the artworks live and follow the project's evolution closely.
Somewhere in Milan.
👉 In the meantime, you can explore the catalog of available works on the website: niartisans.art
