SANKARA MUTONI

Sankara Mutoni is a Rwandan-born artist, architect, illustrator, and author working in Belgium. Moving between painting and architectural drawing, his practice brings together visual art, spatial thinking, cultural identity, and the documentation of Rwandan heritage. His work explores themes including identity, nature, culture, and resilience, while his architectural background gives drawing, proportion, perspective, and structure a central place in his visual language.

Born in Cyangugu, Rwanda, in 1983, Mutoni later trained as an architect at the Université libre de Bruxelles, completing his master’s degree in architecture in 2009. Alongside his work as an independent architect, he developed a parallel practice as a painter and illustrator, becoming particularly known for architectural sketches and drawings defined by precise perspective, expressive linework, and marker-based color.

These different disciplines remain closely connected in Mutoni’s work. His paintings include portraiture and scenes connected to African life and cultural memory, while his architectural drawings examine interiors, gardens, façades, landscapes, and built environments. His approach to architectural illustration has also developed into an educational practice, with several published books focused on perspective drawing, plans and façades, interior design drawing, garden drawing, and marker techniques.

A significant development in his practice is INZU: Traditional Architecture of Rwanda, a research-led project examining Rwanda’s traditional built environment and the cultural structures surrounding the home. Developed through field visits in Rwanda and archival research, the project resulted in illustrations, a publication, and an exhibition at the AfricaMuseum. Through INZU, drawing becomes a means of recording architectural knowledge and examining the relationship between construction, family, community, and cultural heritage.

Across these fields, Mutoni uses visual practice as a form of artistic expression, design communication, and a way of documenting and reconnecting with cultural knowledge.

TUM Issue: Synthesis

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