In The Case of Books: Nairobi + Kampala

In The Case of Books was a project that happened between 2013-2015. Jackie Karuti invited fellow artists and friends to visit and dust libraries found in various artist studios, project spaces, public schools, private homes and cultural institutions in Nairobi and later in Kampala. It was a way of examining the anatomy of knowledge, place of books, the identity and relevance of libraries and the myths and rituals amongst the participating persons and institutions.

A key part of this performance was the communal ritual of dusting and arranging books on the bookshelves as a way of doing study and offering a service. All the experiences shared and issues raised constituted part of a greater ongoing conversation looking at the place, means and space of knowledge within the societies. This is at a time when the magnitude of information and its accessibility is at an all-time high and books have, for a long time now, been the most recognizable and acceptable conduits of this knowledge.

It was first performed in May 2013 in Nairobi and consequently formed Karuti’s first solo exhibition called Where Books Go to Die; leading to yet another performance in September 2014. A third edition was performed in October 2015 in Kampala, Uganda while in residence at 32° East.

-Text by Peterson Kamwathi & Jackie Karuti

In the case of books- Kampala, 2015

In the case of books- Nairobi, 2014