(b. 1978, Kampala, Uganda)
Innocent Nkurunziza (b., 1986, Uganda; lives and works in Kigali, Rwanda) is a contemporary self-taught artist and social activist leading a movement of artists whose work explores human consciousness, the quantum nature of reality, and the elevation of the human spirit through the creative arts. His monumental works span mediums including painting , sculpture, other mixed media, and even clothing, using materials created by nature such as barkcloth, mud and soil to turn his art into channels for the expansion of human consciousness. Alongside his studio practice, Nkurunziza is a co-founder and director of the Inema Art Center, an organization committed to human spiritual transformation through social , economic and creative development
With natural, earth-based materials, Nkurunziza paints and sculpts organic, abstract forms and discernible representations of the human body including feet, fingerprints, and genitalia. Colorful swirls and intricate geometric patterns employ the power of abstraction to direct and focus visual attention to bring the viewer into deep hypnotic and meditative states that transcend our complex human experience through a universal language of creative expression.