Today we’d like to introduce you to Raphael Bahindwa.
Hi Raphael, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born in the DRC (Congo). Now, I’m currently living in Atlanta, GA. I moved to America in May 2014 with a dream of becoming an artist. Back home in the Congo, artists are not respected like in America or anywhere in Europe. In my opinion, the best way for any artist to be inspired to create is to have people motivate each other. Without a support system for artists, it won’t be easy for them to grow. I personally didn’t have a good support system back home, except my family members. I want to create work that will one day be appreciated it by people.
I occasionally give art talks to give my audience context on my work and explain to them the deeper meaning. As an artist, the only way I can tell my story is through my work. Through my work, I get to learn a lot about myself and the people who are viewing my work. My style mostly talks about what I feel in that present time while I paint, and sometimes I try to imagine how my world would look like in the future.
People always ask what was my true career choice was as a kid. They always expected me to say something like computer science or law, sometimes business. But I always tell them that painting has always been my choice, and that’s something that will never change.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There is really never a real smooth road for an artist in my opinion. The only time an artist feels the smoothest in the practice it’s when the artist finds the consistency in their work. Consistency is one of the hardest things to find for an artist.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m consider myself more of a figurative painter. I really enjoy the mix of abstraction and realism, it helps me create very surreal portraits. I developed a unique abstract style that involves the usage of arrows, color and other symbolic Congolese artifacts. I draw a lot of inspiration from Congolese traditional masks, arrows used by the warriors, and other artifacts emblematic to the Congo. My work is also inspired by vocalizing the exploitation of resources in the Congo by foreign states. I use the arrows as a way to direct my audience to some of these artifacts just like roadsigns do for motorists. I feel it’s important as an artist representing the Congo to express some of the turmoil that happens back home through a visually captivating medium like painting.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
One of the most important things that I learned during the Covid-19 crisis is that anything can happen anytime and we always got to get ready for anything. During the pandemic, it was really hard to sell any work. Specially my paintings. As a fine artist, the best way to sell my work is to have shows, and sell some work and have some commissions. And that was impossible during the pandemic. So during that time, I focused more on my social media appearance and trying to have a strong pro folio.
Contact Info:
- Email: Raph@mazaristudios.com
- Website: https://mazaristudios.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/r.b.drawing?utm_medium=copy_link
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC5gsmuTaszTt-rriqk2XkEg
- Other: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdDEbHcc/
Image Credits
Tyler X
