Willy Karekezi is a Rwandese Muralist who spent 3 months in residence at 32° East under the pilot social practices residency, Politics of Return.

Politics of Return is a research program undertaken by London School of Economics and Political Science and 4 partner research institutions. It collects information on research patterns in East and Central Africa. In particular it questions assumptions around going home – what does it mean to return to a place you were forced to flee? As part of this, 3 artists were invited to do a residency during which they conducted their own research and entered into conversation with the research previously collected.

During his residency, Willy conducted a series of interviews while elaborately painting the bodies of his interviewees for personal and personable exploration of their histories and stories. From these recollections, he created three pieces depicting the many lives and stories of those migrating in and around East and Central Africa.