Canda

My artworks evoke emotions that are drawn from my history

cANDA

Niyonkuru Bruce ‘’Canda” is an interdisciplinary Rwandan artist and creative director born in Burundi in 1992. He started to paint in 2011 at Ivuka Arts Studio in Kigali and decided to become a full time artist in 2013. To him, art is a moving force in history, a creating force of development, a way to explore and experience freedom. In his work, Canda is moving smoothly from fantasy imagination into reality matters which helps him create a unique holistic style by showcasing his own utopia and dystopia cosmology. Canda has been an advocate for decolonization in cultural institutions through several international projects and residencies. This includes co-founding Kuuru Art Space in Kigali and Milele Museum, which he constructed after spending time in Germany and encountering Rwandan artifacts in the museums. He is fascinated with the dualist nature of humans as agents of creation and destruction, as living archives and as creators of history. Therefore, most of his work revolves around a humanoid image. Canda has organized and participated in several international and national art exhibitions and residencies. He currently practices and teaches art in Houston, Texas.

Artworks

Mixed media

digital paintings

acrylics on canvas

film

view my portfolio

FOUNDED PROJECTS

MILELE MUSEUM

2021 - PRESENT

Milele Museum is an interactive museum dedicated to stolen African artifacts and cultural traditions.

KUURU ART SPACE

2017 - PRESENT

Kuuru is a hybrid Rwandan art space that works towards Rwandan art scene that is open and inclusive.

Ba and ba movement

2019

The Ba and Ba Movement was founded to contribute to peace, development and reconciliation through artistic performances during the commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi’s.