Kureba Kure Statement

“I decided it is better to scream …Silence is the real crime against humanity.”  Nadezhda Mandelstam

In our civilized modern society when talking about a person who has done a heroic act we are talking about men, women have strength and make do.
Women are most of time forgotten in history.
Current event and past event make me want to scream and ask the world what was wrong with us.

In Africa the art of storytelling is a part of life.  Families past their tradition down to the next generation trough stories that are told. This tradition was almost destroyed in Rwanda because of a civil war that resulted in genocide.

Genocide is not an act of the past in our modern and civilized society and we tend to not get involved because it is always happening far from us. We never stop and thing about the victims who survived and have to rebuild a new life. In Rwanda a phenomena happen after the civil war, most women found themselves without men and had to learn to go on.

My works is homage to Rwandan women.  The figures of hope are informed by archetype that Carl Jung interpreted as part of the collective unconscious. One of the archetype or universal images that the world share is the Great Mother, a fertility figure used as a hope for a better figure.  Mothers express their hope for the future when they have children. 

My works represent goddesses from around the world, biblical figures, and also stories of historical women.  Historical women chose to fight because they were mother although their social position didn’t encourage them to be strong. They all lost their life but it was not in vain, although history forgets to mention them, their legend was passed from one generation to another.

Pablo Picasso has influenced my works, because he successfully incorporated African art forms into European art.

African art has always been part of my life because I was born and raised there.
African art has his own standard; it is different than western art.  In African art the proportion of the figure are unique and left to the artist own interpretation.  My works has a cubist feel. It is comprised hand built and thrown forms. The figures are carved and have texture that resemble African textile.  Glazes and wash are applied to ornament the figures. I used mainly earthware but sometime stone ware.