Peter Kamale Maliyamungu, of his stage name Peter.k+, is a Congolese visual artist based in Burundi.
Already at a very young age, the artist was interested in art and a great collector of comics. His mother noticed his talent and decided to give him some basic drawing materials, which kept him from making smudges on the walls or drawing in his school notebooks. He sought inspiration by pursuing his artistic touch away from the discouraging eyes of those who saw art as a waste of time. Peter was able to enroll at UJADP (Ecole de recherche d’initiation et de création artistique) thanks to other artists evolving in Goma and whose influences he keeps.
He expresses himself using different artistic mediums such as amateur photography, fashion, digital art, comics, press drawings, and art installations based on nails. Through his art, he seeks to express the emotional weight women carry in society. Aware of the challenges in the art industry in Africa, Peter seeks to share his passion with other artists and created an artists’ collective VISION ARTS. The latter addresses artists and accompanies them in their artistic development.
AS an artist what does your work aim to express?Do you work with a specific style?
My artistic approach is oriented towards the representation of movements of the population influenced by natural disasters, the problems of ethnic confrontations, economic and geopolitical and wars etc. Through my work I seek a Place, a role and an identity in my artistic creations with different mediums.
Who are your biggest influencers?
I am influenced by myself, Pablo Picasso, Justin Kasereka, Clovis Ngoy, Barly Baruti and Charly Weekly.
How have you developed your career?
By continuously working hard and pushing myself to grab opportunities.
How do you seek out opportunities? Especially in a country as Burundi where Art is not really supported?
It is not easy for artists to find opportunities in art here in Burundi, but it is important that artists take the first step and create their own opportunities.
How do you cultivate a collector base?
By being open minded and allowing collaborations.
Are you following any current art trends or is your work not in response to the art trends and you just create based on what you feel is needed to be shared?
No, I am not. In my artistic endeavors, my imagination is always open to exploit any sensitivity of human beings and those around them. All the forgotten are necessary for me.
For anybody outside of Burundi who wants to purchase your work, how can they get a hold of it?
For purchases outside of Burundi, I have been using DHL Agency to accomplish this and so far it has been a success. I would highly recommend potential customers to check out or purchase my artworks from this platform https://artexpress.co.ke/store/peter-kamale/ see my profile and if any artwork is of interest to you then you can directly make a purchase at ArtExpress.
