Shine Tani was born in 1967 in Ngecha Location in the Kiambu district (Kenya). He joined Rironi primary school in 1977 and did the certificate of primary examination in 1983. In his school life he acted as a teacher giving instruction to the pupils who had art interest in the class. Art was not taught in school but at home his elder brothers did a lot of drawings and they influenced him much.

His parents were poor so that they could not afford to educate him further. He chose to seek for ways of survival and joined an acrobatic group in the village. It was not easy with the group since he earned very little so at that time he decided to go in the street to fight for life.

For some years he survived as a street boy. He quieted the streets with shillings 100 that he had begged. At that time he saw paintings hanging on the walls of the Galleries and he decided to develop what he had done in his school life. Then in 1988 he started to be a serious artist. Shine is the founding member of Banana hill art studio. He has been the studio director since 1992.

Shine Tani is inspired by day to day life and personal experiences expressing his feelings through art.

Some interesting links on Shine Tani:

Shine Tani won the Missio Art Award 1997 together with Francis Mampuya-Kitah, Kongo (website in German):

www.missio-aachen.de/missio/kultur/kp1997.html (no longer available)


The United Nations Millennium Art Exhibition: Our World in the Year 2000.
Mall Galleries, London; World Trade Centre, Stockholm and United Nations, New York:

www.ourworldin2000.com/pages/thepaintings/completelisting/Kenya.html

Exhibitions