More Than Half
© Thandiwe MuriuThandiwe Muriu participates in the 14th edition of KYOTOGRAPHIE, taking place in Kyoto from April 18 to May 17, 2026.
More Than Half, was created as part of KYOTOGRAPHIE African Artists Residency.
Thandiwe Muriu immersed herself in the tradition of Japanese textile craftsmanship. Historically, textiles have been a meeting point for many cultures, with the influence of trade, global events, and the intermingling of traditions woven into their fibres.
Indeed, Muriu’s native Kenya and Japan have a linked history through textiles, too. The East African kanga was printed by Japanese manufacturers as early as the 1930s, and the tie-dye technique finds parallels in the Japanese shibori. Muriu’s journey through Kyoto’s fabric landscape ultimately inspired a new chapter of her Camo series, More Than Half, which intertwines the bold languages of both the kimono and wax textile. Uniting two visual vocabularies, she reflects on the expansive theme of belonging and one's place in a community. In the exhibition 一如 (Ichinyo), Muriu shifts her focus from camouflage to coexistence, anchoring her subjects in the renowned symbol of Japanese culture, the kimono, while setting them against a widely accepted backdrop of ‘Africanness’, the wax textile. By doing so she aims to recognise the experience of Afro-Asian (Blasian) women, whose identities naturally bridge two cultures. Muriu’s portraits assert that both origins form a singular, unified presence, and channel the spirit of 一如 (Ichinyo) – a Buddhist term meaning “all things are fundamentally one” and expressing that what may appear divided is, at its core, already whole.
Where the Amish Vacation
© Dina LitovskyEvery winter, Amish and Mennonite travelers from all over the United States, travel to Pinecraft, a small community in Sarasota, Florida. Starting out as a tourist camp in the 1920s, it has since become a popular vacation spot. Jokingly dubbed “Amish Las Vegas”, Pinecraft is a unique place where all different denominations of Anabaptist escape the winter together and mingle amongst each other. The usual rules are a bit looser, turning a blind eye to the use of cell phones, cameras and bicycles while encouraging recreational activities.
Christmas in July // National Geographic
© Dina LitovskyPublished in July 2016 for National Geographic, photographer Dina Litovsky captured the "World’s Largest Santa Convention" in Branson, Missouri. Her photo essay documents hundreds of professional Santas and Mrs. Clauses participating in summer workshops, parades, and social events, highlighting the surreal, humorous contrast of holiday cheer in 90-degree heat.
Meatpacking
© Dina LitovskyEvery weekend night, the cobblestone streets of the Meatpacking District are transformed into a microcosm of sexual politics. The rules that govern the city during the day are suspended; the act of looking, concealed in the daytime, is brazenly celebrated. Women, navigating the jagged streets in high heels, are confident of their presentation but unsteady in their step. A barrage of compliments and whistles accompanies them as they make their way through the space.The formerly gritty, working-class neighborhood that used to be known for its dynamic gay nightlife and transgender sex workers, has metamorphosed into an ostentatious, high-gloss carnival for the young, single and heterosexual. While the Meatpacking District’s seedy history of fetish houses and leather bars may have been erased by fashionable nightclubs, the area remains a sexual playground, offering a fascinating glimpse of contemporary romance.
Prabal Gurung
© Dina LitovskyCommissioned work for Prabal Gurung featuring backstage and portraits of celebrities at the Met Gala
