Richard “Safari” Karekezi was born in Mityana, Uganda in 1983. Which explains his interesting name. The artist’s first time ever to see his homeland briefly was when Richard and his father came to Rwanda for a visit in 1995, after the short stint later in 1997, Richard and his whole family moved back to Kicukiro, just on the outskirts of the main part of Kigali.

He attended Rwanda International Academy and says he had always loved art. As a child, he did cartoons, sketching characters like the Pink Panther, for which the other children would pay him. Fast forward to 2002, Richard says art was part of his veins he loved art with all his heart which in time interested him to his becoming a professional artist: Karekezi says, in the beginning, he had to use house paint which was oil paint and even now this type of painting reminds him of those early days. Even he uses Acrylics.

Richard strikes one as very philosophical, very much a visionary with dreams to have an art library that will help or even support upcoming Artists. He loves research and says “all design is for the artist”, He does sculptures as well as paintings, and one day dreams of having one of his statues at the center of one of the roundabouts in Kigali.

Based in Rwanda, the artist today continues to be a trendsetter with his works featuring variant tones of color and emotions in his paintings as well as a breath of self-expression that brings out his unique style in a representation of African contemporary art on the local Rwandan scene.

Exhibitions

2008 – IVUKA ARTS KIGALI GROUP EXHIBIT AT TORERO BAR, live painting for  3 months

2009 – SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 6 BEIRUT, LEBANON-FRANCOPHONE GAMES COMPETITION

2011 – JUNE 29^th TO JULY 4^th KANAZAWA CITY INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE JAPAN PARTNERSHIP EXHIBITION “The Tea Table Family” BY INTEGO ART STUDIO

2012 – THE DORM SPEYER GERMAN-EXHIBIT

2012 – KÜNSTLERBUND SPEYER GERMAN -EXHIBIT

2012 – DECEMBER ART WORKSHOP AT UMUCYO PRIMARY SCHOOL

2013 – WOMEN RENAISSANCE EXHIBITION AT MAMBA HOUSE KIGALI

2014 – MUSIC ROOM WORKSHOP AT IGS INTEGRIETE GESAMTSCHULE LUDWIGSHAFEN

2014 – AFRICAN MARKET EXHIBIT, SPEYER GERMANY

2014 – KIGALI ART WORKSHOP BETWEEN IGS GERMAN AND

2015 – SCHOOL BUS STOP ART WORKSHOP GERMANY

2016 – African Colors 24^th June Ausstellung GERMANY

2017 – APRIL ARTE BUHNENTECHNIK MIE-UND SERVICE

2017 – MAY 2017 ST MARKUS KINDERGARTEN SPEYER-MURAL WORKSHOP FOR CHILDREN SUPPORT

2017 – AUGUST HISTORICAL CITY HALL RATHAUS EXHIBIT