Paivapo is a multi-sensory installation built around Pidgin, a fictional character who exists only as trace and echo: fragments of syntax, invented glyphs, and a body formed from clay, water, and cotton gauze. Rather than presenting language as fixed, the work treats it as a living, migrating force, inviting visitors to follow evidence rather than search for a single fixed meaning.
The installation was developed in collaboration with two of Nyariri's friends: original sound by composer Denise Onen, and fictional text by Rabia Abba Omar, The Academy's Discourse & Visual Studies Lecturer. Together, the visual, sonic, and textual elements build an experience the artist describes as a forensic trail, one that reaches the viewer's body before their mind has fully caught up.
At its core, the exhibition speaks to an experience many carry but rarely name: the act of speaking in a language you've had to invent for yourself. It's a theme that resonates well beyond the gallery walls, touching on migration, hybrid identity, and the quiet work of self-translation.
Exhibition Details
Paivapo (There once was...)
Association of Visual Arts Gallery (AVA), 35 Church Street, Cape Town
On view until 30 July 2026
Gallery hours: Monday–Friday, 10am–5pm | Saturday, 10am–1pm
