How Rwandan artists kept art alive in 2015

For the last few years visual arts in Rwanda has remained boisterous with several artists aggressively marketing their pieces of artwork. This year, art aficionados in Rwanda attended different exhibitions that were held by youthful artists, mostly in the different art centres that now dot every nook and cranny of Kigali. The following are some of the headline events that showcased the artists’ determination to show their works. Baba Mweusi Baba Mweusi (The Black Father) was a one-week solo exhibition held by the “father” of Rwanda’s contemporary art, Collins Sekajugo at Ivuka Art Center in Kacyiru. The exhibition ran from March 28 through April 5. Sekajugo’s collection told a story of a black man’s experience in parenting a child between two continents and he said such experience “embodies the challenges and beauty embedded in it.” In a society where mostly raising a child is taken traditionally as a prerogative of the mother, the artist challenged this societal norm and provoked his audience to rethink in modern terms where family affairs, like raising a child, should be a shared responsibility between both parents. The exhibition and the art pieces were a blow to the much vaunted gender equality. Sekajugo is the founder of Ivuka Art Center in Kacyiru where a good number of youthful Rwandan artists have cut their teeth from going on to found their own art centers. Willy Karekezi performs live painting as art lovers look on at Uburanga during his exhibition. My Renaissance Who says there are no women artists in Rwanda? If you’re still cynical about the presence of women artists, you would have attended Hortance Kamikazi’s debut exhibition, My Renaissance, which was held from July 17-24 to confirm that there are talented women artists in our midst. ‘My Renaissance’ featured 11 pieces, with one piece called ‘My Happiness’ symbolizing the 19-year-old artist’s evolution through art and her introduction to painting. Kamikazi said at the time, “This (the exhibition) is about rebirth, about knowing that you can fulfill all that you’ve ever dreamed of. Above all, it’s a call to my fellow youth to step out of their own shadows because each one of us has talent shining within.” The event drew a handful of art enthusiasts though Kamikazi said she was not overawed by the attendance, adding that she was very excited to have the opportunity to not only to hold her maiden exhibition but also to showcase her pieces of artwork to art admirers. Metamorphosis God, in his mysterious ways, turns an ugly and despised caterpillar into a gay and beautiful butterfly. That’s my raw definition of metamorphosis. But the Ivuka quartet of Shadrack Kayiranga, Bonfilis Ngabonziza, Jean Baptiste Rukundo and Isakari Umuhire used it as the title of their colorful visual art exhibition that was held fromNovember 14-28. The theme of the exhibition was about how human beings can learn from nature. Most of the abstract, semi-abstract and realism paintings that graced the walls of Ivuka art gallery during the two weeks portrayed salient lessons that human beings can derive from the natural phenomenon. Birds were painted as free and fluttering butterflies as having evolved from their loathsome immobile existence. There was live music and free cocktails, including traditional drink Urwagwa that added colour to the event. This was an exciting event where art met fun to produce a memorable occassion. Timothy Wandulu during the exhibition on breast cancer. (J. Oindo) Akimazi’s Virgin Vayando painting. (J. Oindo) Women in Pink The month of October is regarded worldwide as a breast cancer awareness month. This year, pink was picked as the colour to mark the fight against breast cancer, a debilitating disease that afflicts millions of women (and men) globally. To lend a hand to this fight, Timothy Wandulu of Inema Art Center held a solo exhibition, Women in Pink, during which he used the portraits of influential women in society to drive his point home. Wandulu preferred to use the images of such public figures as First Lady Jeanette Kagame and her daughter Angie Kagame, Miss Rwanda Doriane Kundwa and former US first lady Nancy Reagan for their roles and positions, which he hoped several Rwandan girls and women drew inspiration from. The exhibition was held at Heaven Restaurant in Kiyovu from October 16-31 and drew a hundreds of art lovers. Age of Love A youthful talented visual artist, Willy Karekezi, returned with a colorful solo exhibition, dubbed “Age of Love”, from August 27 through September 12. Karekezi has a bag of tricks or two and this time, he dazzled his mesmerized audience with a live painting as two poets, Addis Kamanzi and Alice Umwari, recited poignant poems lamenting the bittersweet journey of love and its intricacies and other poems celebrating love’s ultimate triumph over difficulties. The art pieces that Karekezi at the exhibition not only showcased his skillful use of the paintbrush but also that the medium of art can be subtly used to pass significant message to society. For example, on the challenging issue of love, he said that “though love has gone through tremendous renaissance over the past few years, owing to the influence of technology and social media, its pristine nature should remain unsullied since it’s one of the elemental virtues that build a strong society.” The exhibition was held at Uburanga Art Center in Kimihurura. Fabian Akimazi poses with one of his paintings during My ID exhibition at Umubano. J. Oindo. The World of Children Another youthful artist from Uburanga stable, Innocent Buregeya held an exhibition at Heaven Restaurant called ‘The World of Children” which he said was a tribute to children who have continued to show their passion in art. “I get my inspiration from the world of children, how they’re eager to learn and express their own ideas. I got enough encouragement from my parents and teachers to pursue my own dreams and this has a profound influence on me to work with kids improve their talents,” he said. The exhibition featured over 50 art pieces ranging from mix media to abstract artwork and was attended by hundreds of art lovers who openly expressed their admiration for the compelling art pieces on display. Reconstruction Metal, metal and metal. Inema Art Center Co-founder Innocent Nkurunziza is an accomplished painter. However, this time he surprised his art admirers with installation art where he used pieces of discarded metals to create sublime artwork pieces. The exhibition was held at Inema Art Center from November 19 to November 26. “Life is all about reconstructing. Those things you see around in your kitchen can be reconstructed to appealing aesthetic pieces,” he said. To create a piece called Food For Thought, which was on display, he said he spent a month moving from one household to another collecting used cooking pots and gifting their owners with new ones. Utterance Barely three days after Nkurunziza’s show ended, his younger brother with whom he co-founded Inema, Emmanuel Nkuranga, unveiled his 2016 collection during an exhibition, dubbed ‘Utterance’, that premiered on November 29. The collection featured works meditating on the flow of life. Hundreds of art lovers who thronged the exhibition site were left enthralled by the unique pieces of artwork that had different cryptic messages behind them. My ID Diminutive visual artist Fabian Akimana held two solo exhibitions, the latest one being “My ID” at Umubano Hotel. Akimana said the exhibition was a celebration of the journey he had walked as a visual artist and the joy and sorrow he had experienced all the years he had practiced art. Akimana exhibited 25 pieces, whereby three of them painted a story of their own, a story of his formative years in art (2008-2010) while the rest showcased his 2015 collections. Akimana came up with unique styles that were intriguing, to say the least. For example, he combined both expressionism abstract and constructivism to create new styles that were shown in such pieces as ‘Love is a Crush’ and ‘City of Hope and Joy’. However, despite a repertoire of beautiful paintings that reveal Akimana’s artistic prowess, only a handful of people attended the opening ceremony that was held on December 18. The exhibition will run until January 20, 2016.

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How Rwandan artists kept art alive in 2015