Kay Chiromo

Witness Kay Chiromo (December 24, 1951 to 1994) was a Malawian artist and art educator. He was born in Makoka Village, T.A. Chigaru, Blantyre District. He is considered as one of the most talented and respected artists in Malawi. His medium is oil paintings but also did book illustrations and a video documentary.

As an art scholar he worked studied under first generation Malawian wood carvers Akamitondo and Jibu Sani at the KuNgoni Centre of Culture & Art. A mission established by Canadian Claude Boucher Chisale whom also taught art. He received his Masters in Fine Arts degree from the Pratt Institute, a private art college in New York City, in 1986.

He then went on to teach at the University of Malawi. He was a Senior lecturer and head of the fine art section in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Chancellor College. He has inspired artists around the world including David McCurry who studied under him whilst in Malawi.

His oil paintings were sometimes built up with fabric, sand or pebbles to produce a deep relief and three-dimensional effect. He once noted that, "Africans express (themselves) better in three-dimensional arts. He regularly used different canvas shapes straying away from the rectangular canvas.

Notable works

• Mother and Child panel, 1993 at Chapel of the White Fathers
• Vocation of the Apostles, 1993 (privately owned)

Exhibits

His paintings became popular internationally in the 1980s. They have been exhibited in galleries and exhibitions in the United States,Zambia, England, Canada, and South Africa.

• The Art of Kay Chiromo:A Memorial and a Celebration of His Work, Malawi National Commission for UNESCO (Book),Chiromo, Kay - 1997
• A Survey of Malawi Articrafts, Chiromo, Kay - 1993
• Visual arts of Malawi [videorecording], Chiromo, Kay -1991

Publications by others

• A Cameraman's Tale: Focus and Perspective in Kay Chiromo's Visual Arts of Malawi, Journal of Humanities,(Journal), W. Msosa, 1996

• The Art of Kay Chiromo: A Memorial and a Celebration of His Work. Malawi National Commission for UNESCO,K. Chiromo, 1997 pp32 pages http://www.worldcat.org/title/art-of-kay-chiromo-a-memorial-and-a-celebration-of-his-work/oclc/040267766
• Chiromo, K. - LC Linked Data Service (Library of Congress)
• AfricaBib | A Cameraman's Tale: Focus and Perspective in Kay Chiromo's Visual Arts of Maalwi

Kay Chiromo died in 1994 but his artistic legacy can be seen throughout Malawi. The UNESCO sponsored book collection of his work was written by him but published after his death. There was also an annual national literary competition, the 'Kay Chiromo Literary Competition' that was named in his honor from 1995-1999. Award winning essays from this collection have been published in books such as the' Wildlife and Environmental Essays: Prize Winning Essays from the Kay Chiromo Competition 1995-1999'Chiromo died in a car accident in 1994.