Mutua states that he is in love with cities & urban living. “African cities have a special place in my heart. The way cities and buildings tell us about the people living in them fascinates me,” he says. Mutua graduated as an architect and this also influences the way he sees and chooses to shoot buildings and cities. He is currently on a mission to photograph all African cities in a project called ‘Unscrambling Africa’ which is at heart, an exploration into African urbanity, architecture & culture.
He did his first showcase of Nairobi city in 2012 produced by David Blackman and in conjunction with the UN Habitat. Named ‘I’m A City Changer’, the campaign encouraged city dwellers around the world to (at least for a day) focus on what they love about their city. People in over 15 cities participated.
Mutua is also one of the founding members of ‘One Touch‘, a collective of visual story tellers in Nairobi who share the common goal of increasing the narrative and awareness of Kenya and other African countries to Africans first then the world. Together they have undertaken a road trip from Nairobi to Bujumbura and done 2 exhibitions showcasing the places and faces they visit and photograph.
