A month-long art exhibition of portraits and narratives by Epaphrodite Binamungu, is undergoing at Atlas Mara, in Kigal. The solo exhibition, dubbed: “Another Language,” started on September 12 and ends on October 12. It showcases oil and mixed paintings that speak a language heard not by ears, but eyes and to narrate voice stories. At the exhibition, patrons are helped with the interpretations of the artwork on display. Visual art veteran Binamungu is showcasing his latest art paintings at Atlas Mara. Photos by Magnifique Hirwa. Binamungu, who has engaged into art for 45 years, believes that paintings have a way of speaking to people in a way that does not use words. The exhibition features over 40 portraits all by Binamungu. The exhibition room is filled with an artistic aura, which the glow of every painting adds to. The paintings, believed to have been born out of the artist’s inspiration, have names in English and French. They bring forth ideas, interactions, and emotions of people, animals and nature. From ‘Walkers’ to ‘Parole du Silence’— different stories tune to different tastes. The beauty of diversity... The diversity of colour and texture is evident in the paintings. Some have colours as low as three (counting black), while others are filled with a mixture of life-like colours. Some portraits contain fixed dimensions, while others have free-forms. The scenery ranges from body close-ups of people and nature to mountains and constellations. The drawing is also different. For instance, ‘Between the Lines’ and ‘Constellation’ appear to be linear and radial respectively. A closer look at some of the paintings reveals fine tough tissue called canvas. The tissue looks folded in some regions of particular paintings, adding another dimension to the portraits. This makes 3D art portraits a possibility, which is quite a rarity in Rwanda. The dimensions of the portraits also range in size with the largest being 160*100 cm. Binamungu has won several awards, including Best Performance in painting of “Art for peace” in Rwanda from 2006 to 2008, Logo of Panafrica Conference in Kigali in 1997 among others. The paintings at the exhibition were made over an amount of time because of the inspirational motives of the artist. The compilation into an art gallery exhibition took around two months. The exhibition is attracting people from all walks of life, and the venue is usually busier during lunch breaks and in the evening. editorial@newtimesrwanda.com
