After more than four decades in the game, Epa Binamungu needs no introduction in the local visual art circles. The Journey With The Sun,his solo exhibition that opened in Kigali last weekend, November 9, was partly a celebration of this artistic milestone. The exhibition is a collaboration between Binamungu’s Inganzo Arts Center, located in Masaka, and the School of Architecture and Built Environment (SABE). It runs through November 19. True to the theme, the artist is showcasing a total of 45 paintings (acrylic on canvass, and mixed media) that exhibition goers can walk away with for a few hundred dollars. Captioned in English and French, the paintings bore titles, like Intimate, Horizon, More Light, Lava In The Sun, and End Of The Day, depicting the different moods of the sun. Apart from the exhibits, the other highlights on the opening night were the complimentary wine served to guests, and the venue –the School of Architecture and Built Environment (SABE), which most exhibition goers were visiting for the first time. Located within the former Camp Kigali complex, the school is an architectural marvel in its own right, complete with a purpose-built exhibition hall from where Binamungu is exhibiting his works. Guests admire Epa Binamungu’s paintings. Binamungu, 64, was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1954. It is from there that he discovered his knack for drawing at the tender age of eight. In 1973, he held his first ever solo art exhibition, thanks to a Belgian Catholic White Father who had earlier identified his talent. To pay homage to the 45 years he has accomplished as a visual artist, Binamungu decided to exhibit 45 works, “to correspond to 45 years of my artistic career”. “The theme, The Journey With The Sun was a deliberate choice. The sun here is not a physical sun but rather a light that has always been illuminated by my path, the light that shines my inspiration and my creation. It is also the path to progress and development,” the artist explained. Veteran visual artist Epa Binamungu (with a microphone) speaks to guests at the exhibition. Courtesy photos. About the choice of venue for the exhibition, he said SABE showed the willingness to host the event. “SABE is a university of architecture which possesses a space which can welcome and put our works on display. SABE has the desire to receive the exhibits of artists and to value them.” The exhibition runs from 10am- 7pm on weekdays, and 12pm-7pm on weekends. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
