Five years previously, David Omondi Wagude was unable to participate in Omondi because his visa was denied due to a perceived risk of overstaying. Yoshinari Nishio made a promise to him that they would turn the diary entries written by Wagude at the time into a project someday in Tokyo. In 2017, Wagude was able to leave Kenya for the first time, and participate in a version of the Self-Select performance project in Tokyo, which was then recorded in photographs and video.
Self-Select: Nairobian in Tokyo, 2017Self-Select: Nairobian in Tokyo #1Self-Select: Nairobian in Tokyo #6Self-Select: Nairobian in Tokyo #7Self-Select: Nairobian in Tokyo #8Self-Select: Nairobian in Tokyo #10Self-Select: Nairobian in Tokyo #11Self-Select: Nairobian in Tokyo #13Self-Select: Nairobian in Tokyo #15Self-Select: Nairobian in Tokyo #16Self-Select: Nairobian in Tokyo #17Self-Select: Nairobian in Tokyo #19Self-Select: Nairobian in Tokyo #21Self-Select: Nairobian in Tokyo #25Performed: Arakawa Africa 8, 2017, OGU MAG Gallery, Tokyo, JapanInstallation view: 21th DOMANI, 2018, Tokyo National Art Center, Tokyo, Japan | Photo by Shizune ShiigiInstallation view: Self Select: Nairobian in Tokyo – Traveling Exhibition in Kenya, 2025, Munyu Space, Nairobi, Kenya | Photo by James Muriuki