BORA SYLVIE is a multidisciplinary artist who does painting, sculpting, photography, installations, and fashion designing. Her artwork talks about the future by suspending various housing models a concept in structure maintenance. The 25-year-old, also known as Bora Arts on Instagram, started her artistic journey in 2015 when she joined Ecole d’Arts de Nyundo, which she said was the foundation in what she is doing today. “For me, fashion and art allude to your logical way of doing things, even if it isnt currently trendy. In terms of my artistic practice, I prefer conceptual art, which refers to artwork created in response to a notion that is completely different from the idea itself,” Bora said. “ The visionary artist says that one of the ways she is exploiting the motherland resources and adhering to the governments recycling policies is to use material waste and natural resources in the majority of her work. Bora says her primary mission is make a difference as a Rwandan female artist. “My mission is to create and do what wasnt meant to be done as a female and contribute in the art industry to all constructive ideas we all face but not able to speak or nowhere to express it to the public,” she said Bora recently took part in Layers of Agency, a two-day artist talk in Rwanda that brought together a collection of Rwandan women poets, painters, architects, and fashion designers to explore the future of the arts among indigenous people. She also participated in the Green Architecture project by Soul of Nation that took place in May this year. The project aimed at showing value in houses built using resources found in Rwanda. She introduced her concept in this project. She says an installation consists of modeling and mixed media; it is divided into three phases: past, present, and future. The concept explains past styles that people’s houses were arranged in. Bora’s structure maintenance demonstrates historical reference presenting models of the traditional houses on an increased scale, to project the dominance of the main house style of the time. It also shows today’s style of houses, showing how our homes are being constructed in a small space with the highest population density. This description is displayed through many models on a reduced scale. “Reminiscing the past while being plagued by the present will help to inform a brighter and more community-driven future,” said Bora. She added that her structure maintenance portrays this future by suspending the various housing models. “My project aims to renovate the traditional house into storey building or futures past. My approach in making art involves a huge dominance in life and nature through which I might connect my ideas. Working visual language in this way makes it possible for me to touch on larger themes and emotion,” she said, adding that she worked with an architect called Noella Nibakuze. Her artworks are presently on display in Rwanda Art Museum. Bora pointed out some challenges she met along the way, including some people who criticized her, but she said she kept moving and proved them wrong. “I thought that after high school, my journey was going to be easy, but it was the opposite. People criticize you, and being a female in this industry back then it was hard, we didn’t have chances like male painters, although now it is improving,” she said. She went on to say that the Rwandan public lacks a basic understanding of art, making it difficult for artists to find a market for their work, which is extremely difficult. Even though she met many challenges along the way, she says that she also reached some milestones and will do more. “I started developing fashion and style through art, but I still want to be financially supported. Through fashion, I earned money to bring more of my ideas to life,” she added. For her, being an artist is about being a voice for the voiceless, whether ancient or a legend since everyone can hear you in a good way. “Everyone and everything inspires me, and I know how to turn minor things into big things,” Bora said. She stated that because we are still living in turbulent times, she will continue to work on iconic projects, murals, and other big projects in the future.
