Artist
Ivan Mapike
Rwanda
Ordinary people living extraordinary lives with dignity.
Ivan Mapike is a Rwandan artist whose work honours ordinary people living extraordinary lives with dignity. His paintings often focus on daily life, family, movement, memory, and the quiet beauty of people carrying on.
The Story
Our first Artist's story – MEET IVAN
When I first met Ivan Mapike, I wasn't just meeting an artist. I was meeting a survivor, a dreamer, and someone who refuses to give up despite circumstances that would overwhelm most people.
Ivan is a 36-year-old Rwandan artist and a survivor of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. He was the only survivor in his family. Without the opportunity to continue his education, life has been marked by hardship and uncertainty. Yet through it all, he has held onto one thing: his ability to create.
Today, Ivan lives in a small rented room in Rwanda. His monthly rent is only $50, but even that can be difficult to afford. Some days, finding enough food to eat is a challenge. Like many talented artists across Africa, Ivan's greatest obstacle is not a lack of skill or creativity, it is access to a market willing to see and value his work.
Every painting Ivan creates carries more than color and canvas. It carries resilience. It carries hope. It carries the story of a man rebuilding his life one brushstroke at a time.
When someone purchases one of Ivan's paintings, they are doing much more than buying art. They are helping pay rent. They are helping put food on the table. They are helping an artist continue creating instead of giving up.
Ivan dreams of building a stable life, supporting himself through his craft, and one day starting a family of his own. Like many artists, he doesn't want charity, he wants opportunity.
His story is one of the reasons Gahaya Gallery exists.
Our vision is simple: connect talented artists like Ivan with collectors and supporters around the world who believe that art can transform lives. By creating a platform for artists whose voices are often unseen, we hope to turn creativity into sustainable livelihoods and dignity into opportunity.
Ivan is the first artist joining this journey. We believe he will not be the last.
Thank you for helping us tell his story.
Gahaya Gallery
Available pieces
Each item is connected to Ivan's work. After production and shipping costs are covered, 90% of the remaining profit goes directly to the artist.
Portrait
8
Moonlit Stillness by Ivan Mapike (30"x40" Vertical, Framed)
From $215.00
Walking Toward Tomorrow by Ivan Mapike (30"x40" Vertical, Framed)
From $215.00
Keeping the Fire Alive by Ivan Mapike (30"x40" Vertical, Framed)
From $215.00
The Space Between Us by Ivan Mapike (20"x24" Vertical, Stretched Canvas)
From $150.00
Moonlit Stillness by Ivan Mapike (30"x40" Vertical, Stretched Canvas)
From $180.00
Where Day Meets Peace by Ivan Mapike (30"x40" Vertical, Stretched Canvas)
From $180.00
Walking Toward Tomorrow by Ivan Mapike (30"x40" Vertical, Stretched Canvas)
From $180.00
Keeping the Fire Alive by Ivan Mapike (30"x40" Vertical, Stretched Canvas)
From $180.00
Landscape
8
Carrying Tomorrow by Ivan Mapike (36"x24" Horizontal Stretched Canvas)
From $160.00
Where Home Begins by Ivan Mapike (20"x30" Horizontal Stretched Canvas)
From $150.00
The Heart of the Market by Ivan Mapike (20"x30" Horizontal Stretched Canvas)
From $150.00
The Journey Home by Ivan Mapike (20"x30" Horizontal Stretched Canvas)
From $150.00
Where Home Begins by Ivan Mapike (Horizontal, Framed)
From $180.00
Carrying Tomorrow by Ivan Mapike (30"x20" Horizontal, Framed)
From $180.00
The Journey Home by Ivan Mapike (30"x20" Horizontal, Framed)
From $180.00
The Heart of the Market by Ivan Mapike (30"x20" Horizontal, Framed)
From $180.00
How your purchase helps
Supporting Ivan
When you purchase Ivan Mapike's work through Gahaya Gallery, production and shipping costs are covered first. From the remaining profit, 90% goes directly to Ivan. The remaining 10% helps Gahaya Gallery continue operating, finding new artists, building campaigns, maintaining the website, and sharing more artist stories with the world.
For Ivan, this support is deeply practical. It can help him pay rent, buy food, meet day-to-day living needs, and continue creating instead of giving up on his craft. It also helps him move toward a more stable future, one where he can keep growing as an artist, support himself through his work, and pursue his dream of one day starting a family of his own.
Your purchase is more than a transaction. It is a way of honouring Ivan's art, supporting his dignity, and helping create real opportunity through his creativity.