• Artist Talk WDBVUB – Cynthia Ntigurirwa

Interview

Patricia Da Costa, member of WeDecolonizeVUB, sat down with artist Cynthia Ntigurirwa for an interview. Together they discussed Cynthia’s inspiration for her work and her artistic journey. 

Cynthia’s inspiration comes from the Polish artist Zdzisław Beksiński, who was known for his dystopian surrealism and focus on death and anxiety. ‘His work was really intriguing for me,’ she tells us. ‘The moment I got more interested in his projects and what inspired him, that’s when I started working on this project in my second year of my bachelor. He is basically the essence of my project, but I got interested in other artists in the meantime like Alina Szapocznikow.’

‘I have been drawing since I was little. Every time when I would see a cartoon or an anime, I would try to copy what I see,’ Cynthia explains. ‘As I grew up my interests completely changed and I started being interested in drawing nature, my surroundings  and architecture. I build my inspiration throughout the time.’

“I build my inspiration throughout the time”

‘I am still trying to find myself in this society. I feel like even at thirty you can try to find yourself. I’m still a baby trying to find out the world and my purpose.’

‘My work cannot be found anywhere yet, I am working on it but I feel I need a stronger body of work and when I have that, you will see my art.’ Cynthia promises. In three words she  would describe her work as ‘bizar, intriguing and uncommon.’ She would summarize herself as an ‘overthinker, compassionate and curious.’

Bio

Cynthia Ntigurirwa, is a young Belgian student of Rwandan origin. She has had a passion for drawing since childhood and decided to study art at La Cambre in 2018. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts in 2021 and currently continues her studies in business. Her main references are Francis Bacon, Cindy Sherman and Alina Szapocznikow.

About the expo

The project presented was developed over 2 years and always focuses on the same themes: the inanimate body and sex. Dolls and action figures are taken as a subject to investigate society’s obsession with satisfying its own sexual pleasure through inanimate objects. As such, the artist explores how the sex industry is burying mankind into hyper individuality.

All works are drawn in oil pastel, sometimes on a black background, sometimes on a neutral background.

Practicalities

Cynthia’s work will be on display at the WeDecolonizeVUB library, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Elsene until the end of the academic year. The expo is open on Tuesdays (9-12h30, 13-15h), Wednesdays (13h-18h) and Thursdays (10h-14h).