RWANDA
Manzi Jackson
‘The idea of interpreting my thoughts and emotions visually fascinates me. Making art lets me play with what I desire and find meaningful. In the process of making art, I experiment and sometimes make mistakes. I learn and grow. As my art improves, so does my life.’
Visual Artist
As an acknowledgement to the women that raised him, Manzi’s subjects are mainly women. He intends to depict the beauty and strength of his family. For the most part, he finds himself marvelled by the elegant design of the human body and nature at large. Over time, his techniques have varied from pencil, charcoal and pastel drawings to traditional paintings on canvas and digital paintings. He is currently focusing on digital painting.
“Take Me to Space” is an ongoing series of digital paintings that began in 2017. This body of works relies on a metaphorical statement. Women of colour are constantly underappreciated, unrecognized and undervalued in today’s society. In this series, he exploits the concept using astronaut suits, as a rendition of an incomplete voyage, a void between what is and what should be.
His exhibitions include:
-2020, “Short Stories”, Glasgow, United Kingdom
-2019, “Afrotopism”, GIZ, Kigali, Rwanda
-2019, “Mumasangano”, School of Architecture, Kigali, Rwanda
-2018, “German - Rwandan Fusion”, Goethe Institute, Kigali
-2016/2017, “Transfigured” Solo Show, Innovation Village, Kigali, Rwanda
-2016, “Dans les yeux de l’artiste”, Umubano Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda
-2015, “CAPSC (Creating Art For Positive Social Change)”, US Embassy, Rwanda
-2015, “Spontaneous Rhythm”, Ivuka Arts, Kigali, Rwanda
-2013, “I Have a Dream”, US Embassy, Rwanda
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Manzi Jackson is a Rwandan visual artist. As a full-time artist, Manzi places most of his focus on figurative and portraiture art. He is best known for realistic portraits of ordinary and occasionally influential figures of our time. Manzi is influenced by a multitude of sources, and in most cases, his subjects are depicted in a calm and serene way.As an acknowledgement to the women that raised him, Manzi’s subjects are mainly women. He intends to depict the beauty and strength of his family. For the most part, he finds himself marvelled by the elegant design of the human body and nature at large. Over time, his techniques have varied from pencil, charcoal and pastel drawings to traditional paintings on canvas and digital paintings. He is currently focusing on digital painting.
“Take Me to Space” is an ongoing series of digital paintings that began in 2017. This body of works relies on a metaphorical statement. Women of colour are constantly underappreciated, unrecognized and undervalued in today’s society. In this series, he exploits the concept using astronaut suits, as a rendition of an incomplete voyage, a void between what is and what should be.
His exhibitions include:
-2020, “Short Stories”, Glasgow, United Kingdom
-2019, “Afrotopism”, GIZ, Kigali, Rwanda
-2019, “Mumasangano”, School of Architecture, Kigali, Rwanda
-2018, “German - Rwandan Fusion”, Goethe Institute, Kigali
-2016/2017, “Transfigured” Solo Show, Innovation Village, Kigali, Rwanda
-2016, “Dans les yeux de l’artiste”, Umubano Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda
-2015, “CAPSC (Creating Art For Positive Social Change)”, US Embassy, Rwanda
-2015, “Spontaneous Rhythm”, Ivuka Arts, Kigali, Rwanda
-2013, “I Have a Dream”, US Embassy, Rwanda
