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The life of a girl in 'Divine Feminine'

Friday January 14 2022
Amaboko

Amaboko, a mixed media painting by Manishart. PHOTO | ANDREW I KAZIBWE

By ANDREW I KAZIBWE

Loius Manishimwe alias Manishart’s latest exhibition at Kigali Soul Art Gallery in Nyarutarama is a tale of infancy to adulthood as it follows the life of a girl.

Titled Divine Feminine, the artists uses the exhibition to explore femininity.

Manishart is inspired by the role women have played in his life. He says a woman’s work may not be aggressive, but its impact on humanity and creation is far greater than acknowledged.

This exhibition shares some similarity with All Beauties come from Heaven, his 2020 virtual showcase.

He uses various mediums, like aluminium foil, wood, and strips of old tyres. The 26-year old artist’s paintings stand out for his use of acrylics paints. One couldmistakenly take his creation to be of oils considering the fineness of his brush.

The exhibition begins from the gallery’s outer entrance, where two paintings stand: One of a womb and the other of a newborn. Inside, the exploration goes on, with the girl going through various stages of development. Color in my Eyes is a painting of a crawling toddler. This is followed by Dancing in Blue Harmony, a depiction of a playful infant.

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Power of Culture depicts a young woman gracefully dancing surrounded by traditional drums. This speaks about her rich cultural roots.

Butterfly wings appear in most of Manishart’s works, and each painting has a corresponding poem.

Manishart's visual art journey started in 2010, when he was in secondary school before joining Nyundo Art School in Rubavu District, where he graduated in 2015.

He has taken part in joint exhibitions in Rwanda the Netherlands and Belgium. In 2020 he held his first solo exhibition.

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