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This Belgian artist of Rwandan origin, born in 1987, graduated from the Architecture section at La Cambre and gave up her profession to devote herself entirely to her passion: artivism (designating the works of militant artists). Her objective as an artist is to carry a message that promotes the decolonization of mentalities and public space in Belgium. She first made a name for herself in 2012 by participating in the Biennale of Contemporary African Art, Dak’art where she presented 1994.

“A commemorative and autobiographical work. It depicts a sadly daily scene of a Belgian family of Rwandan origin watching the news during the time of the genocide. 1994 is both a step towards a necessary catharsis for the Rwandan diaspora and an unpublished testimony for the rest of society. A testimony too often overshadowed by other issues related to immigration, or by the very modesty of a generation cut off from its culture and feeling its pain as illegitimate. “

More recently, the artist became known for the temporary installation PeopL in which she melted the ice replica of the equestrian statue of the late monarch Leopold II. This installation first took place on October 6, 2018. This list is far from exhaustive, but it does speak to the interests of the creator of the Queen Nikkolah character.

In addition to being an artivist, Laura is also a researcher at Ghent University. She could have chosen to enter the race for representation to which the cultural and artistic institutions of the capitalist ideology such as Bozar, Africalia or the Africa Museum invite us. They would have people believe that life is a competition between individuals to get access to the increasingly rare positions within these institutions. Queen Nikkolah recently responded to the siren call of the institutions with a performance entitled Radical Absence. A reliable source who works for a DGD-funded institution happened to be at a meeting one day where the agenda was “How to neutralize Afro-descendant activists in Belgium? “. These so-called institutions do not hide from the people who bother them that they bother them, but they are usually skilled at doing so in a way that is subtle enough not to incriminate themselves publicly.