Moses Izabiriza is a Rwandan artist who finds inspiration through different experiences and then expresses them using his brush. 

Dubbed Anticipated Rays, his exhibition — which began on August 5 and continues for a month — is part of the First Friday, a monthly artistic platform by Kigali’s Impact Hub, which hosts artists and showcases their pieces.

Anticipated Rays is inspired by Izabiriza’s experience of visiting the Kiziba refugee camp in November last year. The camp is located in the Western Province at the border of Rwanda and DR Congo. The camp hosts the Banyamurange, a group of people who are a product of intermarriage between Rwandans and DR Congolese.

Izabiriza showcases the everyday lives and hopes of the refugees.

Unlike in Spontaneous Rhythm — a joint exhibition held in Kigali last year — where his paintings were characterised by the use of letters, this year he uses tiny shapes, like symbols to create a unique style.

The 24-year-old artist, who hails from Ivuka Art Centre in Kacyiru, Kigali, uses acrylic paints to create his pieces.

His focus and inspiration while at the refugee camp were the women and children, who make up the majority of the people at the camp.

Izabiriza can relate to the Banyamurange because he too was once a refugee in camps in DR Congo after the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi.

Pain Flow features a young woman in deep thought. My Generation is a portrait of a young infant who looks hopeful.

The featured works cost between $800 and $1,300.