Shangazi Kaja performance, 2025 ; Kariakoo Tanzania
Mihayo Kalaye (b. 1996) is a Tanzanian multidisciplinary artist whose practice explores ideas of African decolonization within contemporary Tanzanian society by revisiting the country’s historical narratives around culture and politics. After earning a BSc in Environmental Science and Management from Sokoine University of Agriculture, he joined Nafasi Art Academy, where he further developed his interdisciplinary artistic practice.
Through his work, Kalaye engages with questions of memory and collective history, using art as a space to initiate dialogue around the ongoing discourse of decolonization in Tanzania and across Africa. His practice is research driven, drawing from both historical inquiry and contemporary social realities.
Working across fabric, photography, performance, video, digital art, body marking, sound, and conceptual materials, Kalaye experiments with multiple forms and mediums as a way of formulating critical questions that invite collective reflection and public dialogue.
Kalaye’s work has been exhibited across Africa and internationally, including at the East Africa Biennale (2019), the National Museum of Tanzania (2020), Circle Art Gallery, Kenya (2021), Galerie Atelier III, Germany (2022), The Africa Centre, London (2022), Alliance Française Gallery, Dar es Salaam (2023), and The African Arts Trust, Nairobi (2024).
He is the recipient of the Feel Free Grant by Nafasi Art Space (2024) and the Prince Claus Seed Award (2024).