Work by Kenyan painter Elias Mungora has been featured in the HBO TV series Insecure. The painting was featured in the Season 2 finale of the popular TV series created and starring Issa Rae.
The featured painting is part of a series titled ‘Urban chronicles’ and it was painted by Mungora in 2016. The paintings in the series documents daily life in Nairobi and according to Mungora life in Nairobi is his inspiration for his work.
His work was featured on Insecure after a team member working on set decoration for Insecure got in touch with Mungora. Apparently the creators of the show were looking to feature work from a Kenyan artist. The acquisition and transactions were done online and what was hanging on the Insecure set is basically a print of the work.
When asked about it feels to get exposure of this nature, Mungora had this to say “It’s exhilarating. Part of what i hope to do is get my voice and the everyday life of my city out in the world . To be in a position to tell my story with the work i do. What this show is doing is helping elevate voices in regions and cultures often overlooked by such high profile productions. For this I’m really grateful to Issa Rae and the entire Insecure team.”
Elias Mungora was born and raised in Central Kenya. He has drawn since he was young and he attended college for 2 years to pursue a degree in Real-Estate before dropping out at the end of 2013 to pursue a career in art. He uses mediums such as a Bic (ballpoint) pen, charcoal, pencil, acrylic paints and water colours to create his art.