Bonfils Ngabonziza was born in Rwanda in 1989. A is a visual artist specialising in public art paintings, portraits, children’s book illustrations and character design, Ngabonziza has made a name for himself in Rwanda and internationally. He started drawing at a young age and began making art in 2010 working with different art centers in and around Kigali, Rwanda primarily at Ivuka Art Center. He has been an artist in many of Kurema Kureba Kwiga’s various public art projects. His aim as an artist is to spark positive social impact and the renewal of strength and courage to transform society for the better. The content of his work ranges from history to nature conservation to rural African lifestyles.
He uses different patterns, collage, and painting styles to convey his messages. Ngabonzia believes in sharing messages of love, kindness, positivity, compassion, and joy in his work. The artwork titled The Dance is about a known traditional dance in Rwanda called the Intore dance. It is performed in three forms: the ballet often performed by women, the heroes’ dance that is performed by men and lastly the drums. Moreover, the dance is about love and this is shown in the way the dancers raise and clap their hands to the rhythm of the drum. This serves as good action for the celebration of love. Accordingly, this being the most established traditional dance in Rwanda, it was important for Ngabonziza to capture it beautifully in his art.
Since 2013, he has created community paintings throughout Rwanda in partnership with the local organization Kurema, Kureba, Kwiga. Ngabonziza worked on the educational series Know Zone Rwanda and successfully lead the design and development of many large-scale pieces. His painting titled A Love Partner Ngabonziza depicts two birds facing each other as though in communication with each other. The painting is inspired by every morning birds song. He feels as though the birds are smiling and singing for a new day. He seeks to use this painting as a voice to conserve nature which is a big theme in all his work.
He has built up a portfolio of murals, including commissioned works in restaurants, schools and community centres. In parallel, he has developed his knowledge in the world of digital media such as 2D as a character designer. Additionally, this includes stop motion short animation, graphic design, and more at the African Digital Media Academy. He has exhibited at the US Embassy in Rwanda and at the Travel Weast exhibition in Morocco in 2017. Above this, he has exhibited at the Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda in New York.
