He is one of the young artists who are determined to break away from the general view that art doesn’t pay as a profession.An artist at the famous Ivuka Arts Centre, Bruce Niyonkuru believes people earn from talent in different fields and arts shouldn’t be played down, writes Joseph Oindo. 

Who is Bruce Niyonkuru?

I was born in Bujumbura, Burundi in 1992. We came back to Rwanda in 1995, a year after the Genocide. I’m currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Business Communication Technology and ICT at Mt Kenya University

When did you discover your art talent? 

I discovered my passion for art when I was ten years old in primary school. I would draw cartoons in my books and I also used to make toy cars using wires for my friends. Some of my friends paid me to make them nice cars. I can say that I started profiting from arts at an early stage. When teachers found out about my talent, they started asking me to draw them educational resources which were pinned around the school.

And how did your teachers and parents take your early exploits in arts?

In Rwanda, art is not seen as an authentic profession and my parents didn’t take it well when I told them that I had dreams of being a professional artist. They wanted me to study very hard and go into the formal job market, but that was not my ambition. My dream from a young age was to use my passion in arts to make a living. My teachers were also quite skeptical about art too; they always told me that art in Rwanda was not a profitable profession.

What kind of art do you do now?

I mostly do painting, but I’m into sculpturing and drawing too. I’m also into modern arts, using modern materials. 

Where do you derive inspiration for your art?

My inspiration comes from the natural phenomena. I see a beautiful bird singing on top of a tree and something clicks into my imagination that the bird’s image should be immortalised on canvass. I see a struggling woman carrying her baby and when I get back into the studio, I capture the image of that woman. I see nature itself and I feel the need to draw or paint it. 

What influences the price of your pieces?

It depends on the materials I use. Some of the materials are imported from neighbouring countries and are quite expensive, thus the cost of the art piece also rises. Another determining factor is the size of the painting. When I paint on a large canvass, it implies that I’m going to expend more time and energy on it and use more materials; hence, that piece should fetch me a higher price as compared to a piece I have painted on a small canvass.

Who are your customers?

Most of my clients are tourists who come to visit Rwanda. They normally come into our studio and buy a piece or two that impresses them. There are also some Rwandans who like art and buy our pieces.

Apart from galleries, where else do you show and sell your pieces?

Once in a while, I organise exhibitions when I get the chance not only to show but sell my pieces. The exhibitions also act as a forum where I can market myself to potential clients. I also advertise my art pieces on the Internet.

Do you rely on art as your sole source of income or you have other sources? 

No, I don’t have any other source of income. This is my passion and profession. Even if I had to get a formal job now, I don’t think it would stop me from doing art. People earn a living through talent and this is the talent that I have and I will never trade it for something else.

In your view, what’s the status of Rwandan art now?

More people are beginning to appreciate art as a profession. Over the last few years, we have seen an increasing number of people join the art industry and there have also been growth in the number of galleries and art centres. Even though some of the older citizens still have that traditional mindset that art doesn’t pay, we in the industry know that when you make a beautiful piece of artwork, then you are going to get clients and at the end of the day, it’s going to pay just like any other profession.