Trained at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland and then at the CCA Kitakyushu in Japan and at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, Gilles DUSABE has always varied the materials and forms of expression according to his inspiration. For each work, he chooses the most appropriate medium and the one best suited to reproduce his thoughts and accurately convey his feelings at the time.
Pushing this artistic diversity to the point of practicing his art under different entities, each with its own name, identity and universe, Gilles navigated for a long time between his different alter egos, until the man and the artist merged for good under the name of Gilles DUSABE.
This name of Rwandan origin, Gilles adopted it after a few years spent in Rwanda, his adopted country, where he lived with his family and whose nationality he acquired. A nationality worn with pride but also with an awareness of the responsibilities it entails for an artist.
Over the years, his work has moved between photography, video, sculpture, painting, installation and happening, always with a desire to question our perception of the world and to position himself as a storyteller of his time.
As a contemporary artist, Gilles DUSABE has anchor points such as his studios in Geneva and Kigali, where he can spend time perfecting his works. But in reality, Gilles DUSABE is above all a nomad, whose life as an artist is strewn with links and collaborations forged through exhibitions, co-creations and prestigious artistic residencies around the globe.
A man of sharing, a committed humanist and a multicultural artist, Gilles DUSABE is an attentive observer of his time, sensitive to the various issues that affect the lives of his contemporaries.
It is in the heart of the daily life, made up randomly collected anecdotes, significant encounters and troubling experiences, disturbing realities or shocking topical events, that this artist captures the spark that fuels his reflections and inspirations.
Whether he is talking about individual freedom, tolerance, social justice, human rights or access to art for the greatest number, Gilles DUSABE likes to take us on a journey of discovery of what links us as humans and connects us to our past and our future.
These journeys ultimately give rise to artworks that challenge, sometimes disconcert, but rarely leave one indifferent.
Solo Exhibitions
2022 Rainbow Skin, Mundi Center, Kigali, Rwanda
2021 MSU (acrylic and spray-paint paintings), GD gallery, Annemasse, France
2019 Retrospective (photo, video, painting, drawing & installation), Ferme Rosset, Geneva, Switzerland
2017 Collective memory (photo, video, painting, drawing & installation), Arts Center, Geneva, Switzerland
2015 Terror (photography, video, drawing installation & performance), The Office gallery, Kigali, Rwanda
2014 Glimpse of the moment (exhibition and happening), Innovation Village, Kigali, Rwanda
2012 Bliss of the Unknown (painting, video & performance), Sunset Villas gallery, Kigali, Rwanda
2005 Misaki Town (video & film exhibition), Galerie Attitudes-espace d’arts contemporains, Geneva, CH
Group exhibitions and festivals (selection)
2022 Biennale de Dakar - Indaffa, Sélection Internationale, Dakar, Sénégal
2021 Le temps et les choses, 39e symposium Int. d’art contemporain, Baie-Saint-Paul, Canada
2020 IPAF, Int. Public Art Festival - Salt River, Cape Town, South Africa
2019 ACAF, BOZAR - Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels, Belgium
2019 Being Humans, PhotoPlace gallery, Vermont, USA
2019 Nuestra Cuba Nuestra, La Havana Biennale off, LA Havana, Cuba
2019 Mundo em Movimento, public art photographies, Puerto Alegre, Brazil
2018 Contemporary African Art exhibition (photographes), Arts Center, Geneva, Switzerland
2017 Art2Rue (in situ large scale wall prints, video, street art installation), Centre Culturel Franco - Guinéen, Guinée Conakry
2016 Annual exhibition (painting), Arts Center, Geneva, Switzerland
2015 Animatou, International Animation Film Festival, Geneva, Switzerland
2014 The Santa Fe International New Media Festival (film and video) New Mexico, United States
2014 Crazy blurred ! (paintings, photographies and videos), Goethe Institut, Kigali, Rwanda
2013 Hangart exhibition (photographies and paintings), City Tower gallery, Kigali, Rwanda
2011 Together (painting, video, photography), Pasha Gallery, Kigali, Rwanda
2010 One Shot 1,2,3,4… Royal Academy of Fine Arts (installation) AEsP, Brussels, Belgium
2009 Geumgang Nature Art Biennale exhibition (drawing) Gongju, Korea
2009 Time and repetition, group exhibition (paintings) Omega Work, Unit 2, London, UK
2008 Video Festival, Ohne Kohle in Vienne, Autriche
2008 International Experimental Film Festival, Images contre Nature, Marseille, France
2008 8th Festival du court métrage, Nice, France
2007 12th Biennale for the image in movement, St-Gervais, Geneva, Switzerland
2007 Rug, Dust and Craggy (installation) Evergreene gallery, Geneva, Switzerland
2006 Le Japon vu par…, Projection, Centre pour l’image contemporaine. Geneva, Switzerland
2005 11th Biennale for the image in movement, St-Gervais, Geneva, Switzerland
Education
2009-2010 Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Brussels, Belgium
2003-2005 Centre of Contemporary Art Kitakyushu, CCA Kitakyushu, Postgrade Diploma, Japan
2002-2003 Desmond Jones Physical Theatre School, Diploma, London, UK
1997-2000 Glasgow School of Art, BA (Hons), Painting Department, Glasgow, Scotland
1996-1997 Chelsea College of Art and Design, Foundation Course, University of the Arts, London, UK