Biography

Šhema, born Shema Hervé BANYANGIRIKI in Kigali, Rwanda (1996), is a self-taught multidisciplinary visual artist whose practice spans illustration, painting, graphic art, and conceptual visual storytelling. Working at the intersection of imagination and narrative construction, he has developed a distinctive artistic language rooted in symbolism, identity, and contemporary cultural reflection. His engagement with drawing began early in childhood, initially as an instinctive form of expression within school notebooks, where he would sketch human figures and expressive forms. What began as an informal habit gradually evolved into a sustained artistic discipline. Through constant practice and exploration, he transitioned from early graffiti-inspired sketches to refined portraiture and later to painting, developing a progressively mature visual vocabulary shaped by persistence and experimentation.

From 2015 to 2017, Šhema further expanded his practice through detailed pencil and ink portraiture, focusing on globally recognized figures including Tupac Shakur, Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, and Martin Luther King Jr. During this period, he also developed conceptual drawings exploring themes of love, existence, and identity, alongside the creation of a short comic book titled "Voyage vers le rêve (Journey to the Dream)", marking his early engagement with narrative construction. In December 2016, he was formally recognized as a visual artist through his participation in the Kigali International Book Fairs, where he exhibited his works and engaged with a broader audience. This marked a significant turning point in his career, establishing him as a recognized figure within the East African contemporary art scene. Between 2017 and 2019, Šhema's artistic practice evolved toward more conceptual and experimental directions. He began exploring abstraction, symbolism, and the intersection of visual language with philosophical inquiry. Works from this period include the series "Fragments of Consciousness" and "Echoes of Identity", which reflected his growing interest in psychological depth and visual metaphor.

Between 2019 and 2021, Šhema focused on visual identity systems, including logo design, digital illustration, and animation-based projects. Notable works from this period include Wirira, Homo Taurus, Like Iron Mike, Glass Sky, COLORS, and Spiritual Cleansing, each reflecting an evolving interest in symbolic abstraction and conceptual visual language. By 2022, his work shifted toward a more defined artistic identity and conceptual direction. During this period, he produced several digital series including Black Sun, The Bubble Escape, and Uncomfortable Essence, which explored psychological tension, perception, and existential fragmentation. His artistic vision is grounded in the construction of conceptual visual worlds that communicate layered messages through imagination, symbolism, and narrative depth. His practice combines figurative and abstract elements, often integrating storytelling structures and anatomical precision to articulate complex emotional and philosophical ideas.

In 2023, he formalized his artistic universe under the brand Graphartixry, establishing a platform dedicated to his broader creative output. This includes not only illustrations but also conceptual ideas, visual systems, inventions, and experimental artistic expressions. Originally developed as Pieces & Graphartixry, the name “Pieces” referred both to individual artworks and to fragments of a larger conceptual puzzle : each work contributing to a unified but evolving artistic cosmos. Graphartixry embodies the principle of limitless imagination and structured creativity. It represents a refusal of rigid visual boundaries, instead embracing exploration, invention, and interpretative openness. While diverse in subject matter and technique, Šhema’s works are unified by a consistent intellectual foundation: each piece emerges from deliberate reflection and is intended to communicate meaning beyond aesthetic form. In 2024, he expanded his practice into logo design and animation-based storytelling, including projects such as Legacy Saloon, alongside narrative-driven works like The Inferno’s Laughter – A Tale of Redemption, Ulterior Motives (Tricked), and Infinite Worth. In 2025, he undertook formal training through Livementor’s program “Vivre de son art”, focusing on the professional structuring of an artistic career and the economics of creative practice. From 2025 onward, Šhema has been developing a major conceptual body of work titled “The War Within: Breaking Out of Perdition”, a multi-piece narrative series following the inner journey of a marginalized Black man. Through interconnected digital artworks and paintings, the project explores systemic oppression, psychological conflict, identity formation, and the struggle for internal liberation.

Artistic process

Every artistic work created by Šhema begins with a conceptual idea. His artistic ideas aim to define the aesthetic aspect that guides the judgement linked to perception, to the expression of oneself, through Artanatomy.

Artanatomy refers to the depiction and interpretation of the elements that inhabit Šhema’s work—characters, objects, environments, and the underlying meaning of each idea. It is a system that gathers the origins, influences, structures, and intentions behind every piece, revealing what exists beyond the visible.

At its core, Artanatomy unfolds through a five-stage creative process that traces how an idea becomes form. From the initial disturbance where thought begins, through its transformation and construction, to its expansion and eventual manifestation, it maps the inner evolution of creation itself.

It is not only a way of describing artworks, but a way of understanding how they emerge—how ideas shift, break, and reorganize into a visual language that continues to evolve beyond what is seen.

Materials

Šhema can draw and paint with a variety of drawing materials: graphite pencil, charcoal, colored pencil, brushes but also, and more often, on a digital graphic tablet.

Influences

Michel Basquiat, Vincent Van Gogh & Michelangelo are Šhema's two greatest inspirations: through their talent, their style, their power to describe reality as well as the message in their works.