PATRICK NDAHINYUKA has found his niche in crafting artistic decorations that reflect Rwandan culture and tradition. His love for culture, especially dance, fuelled his inspiration and motivated him to keep doing what he does. The self-taught artist discovered his talent when he was still in primary school, drawing different stuff (people, animals) in his notebooks and blackboard, and his fellows could tell he was good at it. In 2016, he unearthed a new style inspired by Intore traditional dancers, including himself, and their outfits. He made artworks portrayed them and exhibited some at Rwanda’s Ethnographic Museum located in Huye. “I was exhibiting two artworks that visitors came to love. That gave me courage to work on other artwork ideas concerning the Rwandan culture,” he said, adding that it also made him tap into the art of photography to tell stories as he worked with a project called Gatore. In 2018, he decided to use his style to make decorations. Inspired by Imigongo and traditional dancers’ attire, the artworks highlight black and white colours and according to Ndahinyuka, it turned out to be unique and made him drive more sales from his art. In the same year, he was among the finalists of Art Rwanda Ubuhanzi, identified for his unique artistic style. At present, he has sold over 80 decor that portray one or more elements of Rwandan culture, tradition and heritage. He said that the platform also provided him with an opportunity to meet and learn from different art professionals and venture into fashion designing, using the same elements he uses in his decor. He loves visual art because it helps him to relax, expose his thoughts and communicate different messages. Like many artists, since 2020, the pandemic shook the stability of his art as his source of income which became a huge challenge to him. However, he is getting back in order and aims to thrive as things get back in order. Apart from that, his other challenges include costly and unavailability of materials he uses to craft his artworks, let alone issues related to copyright where other artists sometimes duplicate his works without his authority. However, he is on a quest to legally register all his creative works under his names. He plans to expand his art business so that he can sell huge locally and open branches across Africa.
