Even after graduating from Art School in Paris, France, visual artist Mucyo F. still preferred to look elsewhere for his artistic inspiration. 

"I was there [at the school] for four years, but I didn’t learn anything special from there,” Mucyo starts.

Instead, the most important thing for him was the creative people he was able to meet and talk with. In other words, his main inspiration came from the common man on the street. 

Not only did he hang out frequently with a graffiti crew called LCN, in Paris, Mucyo also got major inspiration from his elder brother, Gaël Faye, a renowned singer, composer, writer and artiste based in Paris. That is the man whom Mucyo describes as his "best friend.” 

"He (Gaël) literally gave me the confidence to get back to art after a long period of inactivity. He gave me the guts to believe in myself and completely immerse myself in art. Through his own artistic journey, he inspired me to get out and do something on my own,” he explains, adding: "He’s a singer and his lyrics basically reflect my own paintings.”

His parents were another major influence on the then aspiring artist. "My mum is an artist in her own right and she has always been into construction, flowers and design. She always likes to create, is dedicated and has an iron will in whatever she does,” he explains further. 

Mucyo’s father, a Frenchman was yet another influence, having been an accomplished painter in his own right.

While the father preferred to work with colors to create abstract pieces, the son is into bleach, "the reverse of painting”. "In bleaching we take out colors to create something, while painting is the opposite –you add colors to create. Bleaching is like creating light out of darkness,” he concludes.

Family aside, Mucyo was further inspired by visual artists like Bruce Cox, he of "The Upstanding Man” fame, Banksy, El Nino, and De las Pinturas.

But there was an even greater inspiration – people: "because everyone has a story if you have the time to listen to them. Some things are priceless in life, like inter connection between people.”

He bemoans the fact that "in today’s technology-driven world, the essence of human interaction has been lost.

We live in a world where people have 3,000 friends on Facebook, but such a person may not even be interested in knowing their next-door neighbor.” 

Coming home in Rwanda, he has drawn inspiration from the two founding brothers of the Inema Arts Center in Kacyiru: Emmanuel Nkuranga and Innocent Nkurunziza, whose artistic endeavors at the popular Art house Mucyo respects immensely. 

It is against this background that the artist hosted his first ever local art exhibition – Constellations — at Inema on December 19.

The exhibition lived to its billing as a very unique one, and one-of-a-kind concept on the local art scene. It involved the use of light in a dark space in a way that also stimulated the auditory senses. On that night, it was lights off inside Inema exhibition hall, with just spotlights pointed at the paintings to illuminate them for exhibition-goers. 

"I was surprised by the great feedback from those who attended, and online comments I received from as far as Jamaica. As an artist, that means a lot to me,” an excited Mucyo explained after the sold-out exhibition, which defied a stubborn evening drizzle.

"I wanted to create some buzz. I didn’t care if I sold my pieces or not, because I like what I’m doing anyway. I value people, service and experiences over money. Most times I give my paintings out for free, to people who motivate me.” 

Two of the crowning moments of the night were the presence of his mother, Odette Nyiramongi, and acclaimed local artist Epa, who Mucyo refers to as "Mr. Art” in Rwanda. "It was the very first time I was talking to him, and it was truly an honor.” 

His mother almost moved the artist to tears when she showed up at the exhibition with a surprise for her son –a bouquet of fresh flowers. "My mother inspires me a lot. She’s a woman of strong character, an artist and businesswoman. It was the first time she got to see what I do as an artist – in the process getting to discover what a lot of people had always told her about my art. She almost made me cry in front of the audience by bringing me flowers, yet it had always been the other way round –me taking her flowers.”

It was the perfect reward for an exhibition to which a lot of time and resources had been dedicated, and Mucyo is confident it’s "the beginning of a bigger venture that will include more art mediums in the future.” 

He describes art as "the last stand against uniformity –the closest step to freedom. Art brings flavor to life.” 

"The artist’s duty is to make the spectator travel through his eyes, perception and mind. It’s crucial to always be critical about what surrounds us. We express our visions, loves and fears; we’re naked to the soul. We express who we are, and we have the courage to expose it to the world. As artists we’re envied and feared at the same time as we disturb comfort and question the individual about its vision of life and its own truth.”

On what makes art appealing to him, Mucyo explains that it’s all about the spirit of sharing that it embodies. 

"You can’t keep it to yourself because it’s a piece of your being that you give out to others. Like the saying goes, the secret to happiness is sharing. Art is all about sharing. It’s our duty as artists to give and share with the world, and to question the world.” 

He compares art to salt and paper – a spice that makes life better. "Art is life. It gives taste to life. Whatever you do, if you apply a little of art to it, you add something special to it. Part of the process is giving a piece of self to the world, and in return, the world always kind of gives back to you.” 

Mucyo further reveals that in the course of his extensive overseas travels, he has encountered "diverse cultures and points of thinking”, something that has had a lasting positive impact on his life. So much so that today, he thinks the best present one can give to self is to travel.

"You get to understand humanity better. If you look beyond the surface, we’re all similar. What I value most is people’s energy and a good heart. Great energy is pure magnetism, and it equally attracts great energy. I acknowledge and value life more.” 

When painting, he listens to all sorts of music – original soundtracks, Neo-Soul, Roots, chill …

Thanks to the overwhelming success of Constellations, Mucyo is already threading together plans for a follow-up exhibition, which he promises to be "more militant – to provoke deeper thought.”