Two Days of Heaven

Iirumva Isaac’s work is ‘Connection made tangible’. His work
explores people’s relationships, culture, and inevitable
change. How can art show the bridging of gaps that are
fraught with miscommunication and misunderstanding
between different cultures, generations, and even lovers? Is
identity defined through self, or the eyes of others?
Born in 1998, Isaac defines his art as 21st century
contemporary, influenced by global cultures and
technological advancement. With bright colors and vivid
playful characters of a naïve style, Isaac immediately
transports the viewer to a story in progress with compelling
interactions. It is hard not to smile. The interiors are
welcoming, not claustrophobic, and the titles give us a clue to
the drama unfolding. You can almost hear the conversations
taking place, told through a look or the placement of Isaac’s
stylized characters. But peer closely and there is more
ambiguity and layers to unwrap to understand what is really
going on.
Looking at culture—both written and unwritten—over time,
Isaac explores reaching across generational shifts, with the
young wedded to technology and the old to tradition. How
can they not just co-exist but nurture each other? Equally, in
showing romantic love, his couples portrayed from Date
Night to Marriage show affection but perhaps also humored
frustration on the path to intimacy. Portraits of friends show
camaraderie but also that bit of competition.
Through his choice of color, bold characterization and
humorous titles, self-taught artist Isaac gives life to his
thoughts and identity to his characters. He speaks for those
who cannot speak for themselves and we are fortunate to get
to know them through his art. He captures life’s exuberance
and human interconnectedness with all its joys and foibles.
Iirumva Isaac currently lives and works in Kigali, Rwanda and
was a finalist in the 2022 pan-African Emerging Painting
Invitational.