Wild Gaze, an art exhibition depicting different emotions and feelings of mountain gorillas kicked off on the night of October 14 at Kigali Soul Creative Hub, Kimihurura.

The exhibition which will run until November 5 is composed of 12 artworks by Frederick Mutesasira.

The painter's inspiration revolves around his stay in Musanze for over five years now, and how he got connected to the mountain gorillas.

"In the wild, there are a lot of animals including monkeys and lions, but I ended up settling for gorillas because I had a connection with them. I painted them, not because they are beautiful and nice but because they have a deeper connection with me,” he said.

Mutesasira also drew inspiration from what people who trekked and saw gorillas experience shared with him after being touched by what he was doing.

"I paint trying to express what these people are experiencing because it's not all about putting an artwork on canvas but also portraying something that is endangered and precious,” he said.

Mutesasira declared that he made the exhibition to let people experience what he is doing and hosted it in Kigali with a feeling that gorillas shouldn't only be viewed in Musanze, hence bringing the experience in the city for people to see before they can even visit gorillas.

His exploration into the world of painting can be rolled back to his furthest childhood memories. More distinctly, he said that he once used pieces of charcoal to draw on a grey metallic tank used to collect rainwater – something that resonates with the colours that graces his artworks (grey, black and white).

His interests in the field finally led him to complete a Bachelors of Art and Industrial Design at Kyambogo University in 2011 and pursue a career within it.

Mutesasira is known for capturing different facial expressions and composers, particularly gorillas. He draws viewers deep into his works through the eyes and gazes of his subjects.

Utilising the medium of acrylic and canvas, the artist portrays various emotions through details, textures and different shades of grey.

Luladey Takele, Co-Founder of Kigali Soul Creative Hub and curator of the exhibition said she saw potential in Mutesasira’s art when she came across one of his artworks in Musanze, depicting gorillas.

"I was intrigued by how it was captured in a way it resonated with humans,” she narrates. "And I thought that more people needed to see it and that it was something we needed to bring to Kigali.”

At the exhibition, they tried to bring in the forest and the natural feel of it with animal sounds, something that makes one feel they are part of wildlife.

Takele called other creatives who are looking for space as well as people who want to relax and discover more about Kigali life to approach the hub for ‘amazing’ experience.