Kyrah Klemme’s textile art practice is deeply rooted in her cultural memories, stories and histories. Growing up between Nairobi and Berlin, her work explores the complex intersection of migration, culture, identity, race and gender. Within her work, she questions how the disconnection from one’s culture influences or changes cultural memories and rituals. 

Informed by the passing down of matrilineal knowledge within the Black community through craft, oral histories and care, the artist is drawn to the way traditions create space for intimacy, love, sharing knowledge and the passing down of cultural norms and values. She is interested in understanding who determines the preservation of cultural memories.

Within her work, she explores how seemingly mundane everyday practices, particularly in the domestic sphere, serve as a site for cultural remembrance. Inspired by conversations with friends and family, and by the moments that move and shape their everyday lives, she reimagines the domestic sphere as a bridge between experience, culture and geographies. Rooting her artistic practice in lived experiences allows a connection between personal memories to broader collective experiences and political realities.