Some young Rwandans have just become involved in digital art during this period of the covid-19 pandemic. They are exhibiting their works in the gallery of the Espace at Kacyiru during the month of November. To the paintings, they have added video, sound and animation.
The exhibition called “Digital November” presents paintings that have the particularity of also being able to show videos or animation. “The paintings are not just images. There is also sound, video and animation,” reveals MDD, a 19-year-old Rwandan artist.
To discover the sound, video or animation behind the artistic painting, all you need is an “Artivive” or “Eyejack” application in your smartphone. This one placed in front of the artwork allows you to observe a digital painting with either a video or an animation.
For the artist, he needs a laptop and the application to create his work of art.
“A painting with video images, animation and songs increases the value of the artwork,” says MDD.
However, MDD recognizes that this kind of art is not yet seeing a large influx of customers. He hopes that over time this may change.
His two paintings in the Digital November exhibition represent healing.
Nelson Ijakaa from Kenya, meanwhile, exhibited paintings consisting of real photographs. With “Artivive”, we discover videos through the images presented.
Another artist is Isaac Irumva. He is interested in the concept of a person’s identity. “The images presented focus on clothing, which is also an element of identity,” says Isaac Irumva, whose speciality is mural painting and illustration.
12 artists from Rwanda, DRC, Kenya and France are participating in this digital exhibition. It was organized by the French Institute of Rwanda in partnership with the Goethe Institute, which provided training for the artists.
Gérard Rugambwa
