top of page
Imigani-InYourBackyard-JAN2026-26.jpg

wthnreach.co

wthnreach.co is a creative platform and exhibition series founded in 2025 by Rwandan photographer Larissa Umulinga. The project focuses on discovering artists, fostering community-led cultural production, and highlighting creative practices rooted in place. While initiated in Rwanda, wthnreach.co is structured around a location-responsive model, with programmes shaped by the geographic context in which they are held. Umulinga is based in Seattle, United States. The platform’s inaugural programme, In Your Backyard, centres on the idea that meaningful artistic work often exists within close geographic and social proximity, rather than only in established cultural capitals or institutional spaces.

  • Instagram

Background

wthnreach.co was founded in 2025 by Larissa Umulinga, a Rwandan photographer based in Seattle. The platform emerged from a desire to remain connected to home while creating spaces for artistic discovery, proximity, and exchange.

The project is informed by challenges commonly faced by artists and creatives when attempting to locate and connect with peers outside of established networks. wthnreach.co responds to this by grounding each programme in its local context and making creative communities visible and accessible. The platform’s activities have been documented and amplified through collaboration with cultural platforms, including imigani, which has contributed to the visibility of its programmes and participating artists.

Mission

wthnreach.co is built on the belief that art, talent, and creative voices are often closer than assumed—embedded within communities, friendships, and everyday environments.

​

The platform aims to:

  • Discover and support artists across disciplines

  • Create opportunities for visibility and exchange

  • Encourage community participation beyond passive spectatorship

  • Challenge the perception that artistic legitimacy depends on distance, scale, or institutional validation

 

The project emphasises proximity, trust, and human connection as guiding principles.

Programs and activities

In Your Backyard

​

In Your Backyard is the first programme developed under the wthnreach.co platform. The inaugural edition took place in January 2026, with the opening held on 8 January 2026 at Norrsken House Kigali.

The programme brings together artists working across photography, mixed media, figurative art, and visual storytelling. Rather than imposing a strict thematic framework, the exhibition prioritises discovery and presence, allowing relationships between artists, audiences, and works to form organically.

​

Participating artists (first edition)

​

The inaugural edition featured work by:

  • King Ngabonziza (Figurative Art)

  • Luladey Takele Teshome (Visual Art)

  • Samuel Mironko (Photography)

  • Chris Kayiteshonga (Photography)

  • Mignonne Mwiza (Mixed Media)

  • Stella Ituze (Visual Art)

  • Louis Manishimwe (Visual Art)

  • Ibrahim Intwari (Photography)

bottom of page