To music fans, Jay Polly is a talented rapper. However, not known to the public is the fact that the rapper is also a promising painter.

Jay Polly has teamed up with Augustin Hakizimana, the founder of Agasozi Art Centre, and a resident visual artist at Uburanga Art Studio in Kimihurura, to showcase their artwork in an exhibition dubbed Local Urban Progress scheduled to start on March 26 at Hotel des Milles Collines by Kempinski.

During this exhibition, art enthusiasts are expected to not only discover the other side of the popular singer, but also see sublime art pieces that depict the hustle and bustle of life in Kigali intertwined with the serene life of the country side.

Jay Polly’s work is going to depict life in a busy city environment. One of the paintings he expects to exhibit is a piece of realism painting, an acrylic on canvas that immortalises Rwanda’s recent triumph in Tour du Rwanda. A group of riders is shown riding along the streets of Kigali on a homerun to victory.

The other one, also an acrylic on canvas, is a group of tall buildings nestling close together as a tribute to Kigali’s construction boom.

On his part, Hakizimana’s paintings dwell on rural motif. A 120x 70cm abstract piece, The Harvest, depicts the typical daily life in a rural setting. A group of rural peasants are busy working on their farms, and it’s kind of a communal work. They are working on a single vast farm, a normal scenario you see when you visit the countryside.

This painting is quite unique since on a single canvas, Hakizimana manages to experiment with both abstract and semi-abstract forms. Below this scene is another abstract painting where a sea of human beings, male and female, old and young are painted as if they are in a vast farm and each person is busy doing his or her own work in that particular farm. This is community work immortalised.

Another painting he expects to exhibit depicts a group of five zebras traversing a national park.

Jay Polly says that his is double talent. He explains that he started painting when he was still in school, but his talent in music got the better of him. But he quickly adds that he has done several solo and joint exhibitions and this is not going to be his first one.

"I met Hakizimana again early this year, and decided to use the opportunity to discuss the idea of holding a joint exhibition,” the rapper says.

Jay Polly adds that even though doing both music and painting can be challenging, he maximises his time since he’s not always at the studio recording songs or performing.

"I use my free time when I’m off music to paint. It’s just a matter of striking the right balance since I’m passionate about both and I can’t just dump one for the other,” he says.

During the Local Urban Progress exhibition, Jay Polly is going to focus on the city side of life while Hakizimana will depict the rural side to show progress on both.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw