Past and present Print

Olivier Kwitonda is a self-taught visual artist in Rwanda. Since he was a child he has always felt that kind of artistic curiosity that made him look beyond the challenges of reality and imagine the possibility of the future through painting. His formal artistic career began in 2009 when he joined Urumuri Arts as an apprentice, diligently working to receive training in art while fully supporting his younger brothers, even though he was only a teenager himself. In 2013, he joined Yego Art in Kigali, through which he displayed his semi-abstract, naïve, mixed media and acrylic art in many exhibitions, partnering with several international and local artists. He was a first prize winner at the art exhibition, My Democracy, at the Kigali US Embassy in 2014 and also participated in the 2014 Imago Mundi project through which his art was later exhibited in Venice, Italy. In his art he often offers a social commentary of Rwandan history, the movement of daily life, and the African artist’s experience.