Ca’ del Duca 3052, Corte del Duca Sforza
San Marco, 30124, Venezia, Italy
Tue – Sat 10am – 6pm
Allan Kioko, a gifted visual artist, illustrator, and muralist from Kenya, has earned a coveted spot at the Glenfiddich Artist in Residence 2025, an internationally acclaimed program that brings together some of the world’s most visionary creatives.
The winner of this prestigious residency will walk away with £ 15,000 in prize money.
Renowned for his bold strokes, vibrant color palette, and textured acrylic and watercolor pieces, the 31-year-old artist has made his mark with thought-provoking, humorous, and sometimes controversial murals that grace the streets of Nairobi’s informal settlements - including Mathare, Korogocho, Baba Dogo, and other underrepresented communities.
His work is deeply inspired by his own lived experiences and the diverse environments he’s encountered.
“Allan’s ability to blend traditional narratives with contemporary visual styles made him a standout for this year’s selection,” said Andy Fairgrieve, Artist in Residence Coordinator at Glenfiddich.
“We’re excited to see how his time in Dufftown will shape his next evolution as an artist - and how he’ll bring that experience back to inspire the Kenyan art scene.”
Kioko will join other selected artists from around the world at Glenfiddich’s distillery in Dufftown, Scotland, where they will immerse themselves in a three-month creative journey. During the residency, the artists are challenged to create a body of work that draws from the history, landscape, and culture of the Scottish Highlands.
Collaboration among the participants is also encouraged as part of the residency’s spirit of cross-disciplinary exchange.
Since its inception in 2002, the Glenfiddich Artist in Residence (AIR) program has aimed to nurture, motivate, and reward creative talents who push the boundaries of artistic storytelling. The all-expenses-paid program provides artists with studio space, materials, travel, and accommodation, along with a three-month income and international exposure.
Past winners of the residency have come from diverse artistic backgrounds - ranging from painting, sculpture, and video to sound art, blown glass, and performance.
In 2024, Canadian artist Julie Forgues took home the top prize for her photographic research exploring the transformation of space into place, and the fluid states in between.
“These in-betweens in landscapes are fluctuating states that I then render into photographic images,” Forgues explained in her proposal. “My work makes this process of fluctuation visible.”
With his distinctive style and powerful storytelling, Allan Kioko now steps onto this global platform - ready to showcase Kenyan creativity and add his voice to the international art dialogue.