Deering Estate Arts Eleven Voices Exhibit Catalogue | Page 54

DUHIRWE RUSHEMEZA
Duhirwe Rushemeza
The Sun Cackled Twice This Morning
Mixed Media on Panel
16 x 12 x 4.5
From the Collection of Kathryn and Dan Mikesell
As a Rwandan living in Harlem, Duhirwe Rushemeza configures paths
towards her in-between state of being. She explores issues of
displacement, cultural adaptation, and what it means to be an
immigrant today.
Sources as diverse as traditional Imigongo cow dung paintings,
Modernism, and childhood memories of deteriorated colonial buildings
throughout Africa are mined for patterned inspiration. Sculptural
paintings are formed from the industrial materials of thin-set mortar
and concrete. Each textured surface reveals components of oxidized
metal detritus discovered on the artist’s walks throughout New York
City to incorporate notions of memory, displacement, cultural
adaptation, and what it means to be an immigrant today.
www.duhirwe.com