Acrylic painting by Kenyan artist Robert Aswani. Stretched on canvas; 35 x 24 inches.

Robert Aswani was born in Western Province, Kenya in 1971, and grew up in a rural part of Western Kenya known as Luanda. A self-taught artist, he has enjoyed painting ever since he was young, and remembers drawing diagrams on the blackboard at the request of his teachers who recognized his skills. While growing up as a kid he says he loved going to the market with his mother just to get the excitement of seeing many people gathered together. These rural and informal marketplaces were an early inspiration for him. “The marketplace is full of life, color, and the closeness of people,” says Aswani, who now lives in Nairobi as a full-time artist.

Value: $750