ONE OF THE GREATEST CHALLENGES and opportunities in an artist’s career is unearthing their artistic style. A unique style can make art memorable. Derrick Ndushabandi discovered his style after years of trying his hand on several others and learning as well. The 24-year-old visual artist caught a glimpse of art at a young age. He said he grew up seeing his uncle making sculptures and would sit and try to sketch stuff on his own – an activity he came to love. It was until he completed his ordinary level studies and had to decide on what he wanted to pursue on the advanced level. “I wanted to pursue art but my parents wanted me to become a scientist or an engineer. So, I chose Construction as an option,” he said. Ndushabandi’s passion for art didn’t die even though he took a different way. After graduating from Construction, he still wanted to follow art and so he decided to educate himself a little more. “A friend of mine named Serge helped me out in every way he could until I was ready to do art on my own,” he said. “After learning from him, I realised that I needed to learn more in terms of style and concept.” During the Covid-19 lockdown, Ndushabandi took time to learn and re-learn since he had time to think and challenge himself. As a result, he said, he created his own style that represented what was in his thoughts as well as people's. “I took a solo path, thinking of content that would probably be my language. I wanted one that communicates with a soul. We are always talking about souls and stuff, but I wanted to make something that actually becomes a reflection of a character; an artwork that resembles someone's identity and personality. I need to make artworks that won't stop making sense,” he continued. Describing more about his style, he said he leaves what he calls a sign of imperfection to the character. “The little holes you see in a piece that I create are deliberate because my subjects aren't perfect, just nobody is. I make and leave some mistakes to my artworks which I reputedly put together in small strokes to create my style. That symbolises the imperfection in people including myself,” he said. He continued, “I decided to use a pot on most of my characters because I lost the read of the faces of any character. Faces lie and deceive a lot but the soul is the one that knows the real truth. The pot symbolises a situation in which one might find themselves in.” Ndushabandi revealed that his works are normally inspired by people's lifestyles and experiences. His style is now two years in the making, and he hopes it will become popular one day since he has even made some ‘great sales’. “To me,” he said, “discovering my style is my biggest achievement.” “It is even more important than selling because when you make art that is unique, that's when you get good clients,” he explained, adding that his next move is to work with collectors and big art platforms of which some are already in love with his works. Talking about one of his artworks “I Trust You”, he said, “We fight and train together because I know you have my back in times of darkness. You will protect me while I protect you. We wrestle each other because I want you to be tough and be ready for whatever life throws at you.” Another one called “The Broke Dreamer” is a painting that shows a character fighting to be seen as one on top but deep down knowing how broke he is. He sets his intentions high knowing that he is too broke to afford one lollipop. “Being able to afford one means being able to own the world,” said the artist. The challenges Ndushabandi still faces revolve around materials and means that limits him from having a fully-equipped studio. Adding to that, he said, “Few locals buy because we are always pushing to find a market abroad. That is why I'm afraid our greatest creation will end up being owned by Europeans and not our people. Imagine that some want to buy something you have created in a month for only Rwf50, 000.” Ndushabandi, however, plans to come up with a platform that would help artists live without relying on a side hustle to survive.
