Growing up in rural settings with a talent but limited exposure can definitely impact one’s ability to hone that gift to reality. Very often it takes passion and the drive to bring that talent to life or risk wasting it.

Born and raised in Gisenyi, Rubavu district, Claude Nizeyimana knew deep down he loved art as a child. Not even limited exposure could get in his way. The only place he interacted with art was in church.

The 25-year-old says he was obsessed by art pieces and sculptures in and around church, particularly the Roman Catholic Church. The more he looked at them, the more he was mesmerised by the beauty of art. It tickled his brain.

"I was really inspired by church statues. In my village, there were no art galleries, unlike Kigali, where you can find many art galleries or many things which teach people about art scattered around the city,

"My first time to see art was in a church, a Catholic church. You know, those statues of Mary and Christ. I would see many of these statues in church and I would be inspired by them,” Nizeyimana says.

After observing them, he had the urge to find out more about these statues and how they related to the lives of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. The more he wanted to learn more, the more he got engrossed in art.

Upon completing his primary education, Nizeyimana joined Nyundo School of Art to further his art talent and graduated in 2018.

Today, at just 25, he is among the most talented Rwandan professional sculptors, set designers, and ceramists who are even breaking boundaries to export their talent beyond national borders.

Nizeyimana primarily works with wood and metal, which is the form of art he picked interest in as a child but he also showed keen interest in clay, and comic sketches during his early years.

But from early on, he knew art was his calling and everything he thought of was conceived in an artistic way.

"I am an artist so art is the only way for me to be creative and think,” he says, emphasizing the importance of collaborating with others in the industry, especially fashion designers, and filmmakers, to bring things to life.

A unique form of art

Once he conceives the concept, he sketches the idea in a book before moving it to the model board, because essentially sculpting, which is his primary art focus, is not like any other forms of art.

It takes meticulous planning in terms of design, measurements, sketching how side view, top view, bottom view and how all sides will look before venturing out to look for a specific type of wood to make the sculpture.

Upon identifying the wood, he sketches the sculpture and begins the process of chiselling and curving out the wood until he arrives at the final product.

Curving out the best sculpture is a very rigorous, patient, time-consuming endeavour which thrives on fine margins.

One small error and everything is lost, but Nizeyimana derives his pleasure and passion from this because for him every sculpture carries a meaning.

"As an artist, every time you do something, you have something you want to tell people. You have a message you want to pass to the people,” he says, adding that for him it doesn’t stop at selling pieces.

He tells his clients how to take care of the pieces when they take them home. The dos and don’ts. Everything he works on has a theme, not just random pieces to sell and make money.

In his blossoming career, Nizeyimana has been able to work on notable projects working with accomplished artists and fashion designers.

Perhaps among his outstanding achievements today include part of the set design team for "Neptune Crest,” a production directed by Saul Williams and his wife Anisia Uzeyman.

It is a milestone that opened his eyes on the possibility of conquering the art scene, even at the international level. For a young man born in Rubavu, there are no limits at what one can achieve using God-given talent.

He has worked with fellow creatives including Cedric Mizero, with whom he joined forces to design and prepare sets for various movies.

He also worked with fashion designer Moses Turahirwa on "Imandwa SS22” by Moshions, where he was given a platform to showcase his talent and creativity in shaping visual narratives for the themed clothing season.

He was among the top four sculptors who prepared the esteemed Kwanda Sculpture Exhibition, held at L’espace in August 2022, further solidifying his reputation as a distinguished artist.

Nizeyimana’s talent gained recognition on an international level when he was chosen as one of the exhibiting artists at the 73rd FIFA Congress in 2023, a prestigious event that took place in Kigali, Rwanda.

A diverse artist

His art cuts across, with most of the themes he works on linked to African heritage and traditions, stretching all the way to South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and many more.

The themes can be anything; African women, hairstyles, the African child and the idea is to bring it out in a way that it connects with the people he is communicating to. It is his signature art.

He didn’t want to work in the conventional way artists go about their work. He wants something he has invested time and follows a particular pattern. Something different that can make him stand out.

Since graduating from school, art is his only way of life. It is the only thing he does and it has been a blessing. So lucky that before graduating from Nyundo he got his first job.

Someone approached the school looking for a sculptor to work on a project and the school recommended him. Upon completing his national exams, he took on the task and as soon as he completed it, he got a call for another sculpting job in Kigali.

It was a long-term job with an organisation which works to preserve traditional culture through art, mainly sculptures. Here he worked for two years before thinking of going to work on his own.

Over those two years, he noticed that there is no art exhibition for sculptors and came up with the idea of starting an exhibition of sculptures only, starting off with three of his other colleagues.

The first edition dubbed "Kwanda” in 2022 was successful and they were motivated to do even more

"When we did the exhibition, the feedback was so good and people were so happy to see the collaboration between sculptors and we were equally happy for the positive feedback,”

"We decided that we will have an exhibition of sculptors every year and we are doing just that. Now it is like a movement,” Nizeyimana says, urging artists from across the continent to come on board.

Like any other profession, Nizeyimana grapples with challenges, particularly finding the right materials, such as wood and equipment as well as a studio where they can take on big projects.

Other challenges relate to logistics and transport because sculpting is delicate and requires specialized transport. He has had a chance to travel and see how it is done elsewhere and he realises there is still a long way to go.

As a sculptor, he knows well his work depends on trees and such, he wants to contribute something to sustaining the environment. His project ‘Ngomijana’ is aimed at planting as many trees as possible, the first phase targeting 3,000 trees.

"I want to contribute to the lifecycle of trees as someone who uses trees as primary materials,” Nizeyimana says.

Nizayimana says his work has been appreciated even more outside Rwanda, citing a recent exhibition he did in Qatar earlier this month, on invitation of the Rwandan embassy in Doha, as an example.

"They were interested to know about our culture and our art. They were amazed to see a Rwandan artist,” he said, adding that they were impressed by what they saw.

The one week he spent in Qatar, he says it was an opportunity to showcase Rwandan culture and traditions through art and people were keen to learn.

"It was a good experience,” he says, adding that it gave him the courage to continue on the path he has chosen.

He urges young people to stop fearing venturing out to do something on their own, especially if they know they have the talent. Being self-employed is something all young people should first consider before going job hunting.

Currently Nizeyimana markets his art work through social media but he also runs a studio along with three other artistes, located in Kanserege, Kacyiru.