Traditional sculpture
In the Congolese tradition, cultural practices are determined by ethnicity. The Musée National de Kinshasa showcases the diversity of ethnic groups that make up the richness of the Congo.
The Kwele, who live between Gabon and Congo, are renowned for their carved masks. This art form, largely dominant in their culture, is divided into different types: "pibibudzè" with a human face, sometimes with two faces, but also zoomorphic masks with horns or gorilla heads. The rarer ngontangang is a multi-faceted palm mask. These masks are worn for ceremonies. Conversely, ekuk are hung inside houses to attract beneficial forces. They can be recognized by their flat white face and triangular nose.
The Mbede-Obamba, attached to ancestor worship, sculpt few masks, preferring to model terracotta figurines.
Babangi masks can be recognized by their concave surface, pierced by two slits stretched to represent the eyes, and a conical mouth. Scarification marks stripe the cheeks and forehead. This model seems to have inspired Picasso, notably for Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.
The emergence of Congolese painting
In the Congo, the art of painting in the Western sense did not exist until 1940.
However, in the 1920s, Belgian administrator Georges Thiry fell in love with hut decorations. These could be abstract, as with the painter Djilatendo, or figurative, as with the scenes of the couple Albert and Antoinette Lubaki. To preserve them, Thiry improvised as a patron of the arts. He provided the artists with materials, and in exchange, they entrusted him with the sale of their watercolors in Europe. Djilatendo and Lubaki are considered the precursors of the modern movement.
One of the first painters to make his mark in the Congo, Eugène Malonga was born in 1930 in Nko, not far from Brazzaville. Orphaned at the age of 4, he won admirers at an early age by drawing on clothes. At the age of 10, he painted his first watercolor picture: la case de mon oncle Boundzoumou. As a young adult, he joined the famous Poto-Poto School, founded by Pierre Lods. He perfected his technique with the architect Roger Erell and the Cameroonian painter Gaspard de Mouko. He painted mainly landscapes and genre scenes. His first exhibition took place in 1954. Others followed throughout West and Central Africa. In the process, his style moved towards abstraction.
Until his death in 2005, Malonga was committed to making the world aware of the beauty of Congolese landscapes.
L'Atelier du Hangar
In 1941, Pierre Romain-Desfossés (1887-1954) was commissioned to protect indigenous art. Assigned to Brazzaville, this military man with a passion for anthropology painted seabeds with abstract accents. He was soon inspired by the idea of setting up a local arts centre. The first school of its kind in the Congo, "Le Hangar" opened its doors in Brazzaville in 1946. The most promising students were trained in easel painting; the others were directed towards decorative and advertising art. Desfossés' aim was not to impose Western codes, but to bring out a different kind of African art. To this end, he encouraged his disciples to draw their inspiration from nature, from the savannah. Desfossés deeply believed that the talent of these artists would succeed in conveying the unique soul of the Congo. A pictorial art form developed alongside traditional masks and sculptures.
Le Hangar's most famous pupil, Mwenze Kibwanga (1925-1999), remained faithful to easel painting throughout his career. Along with other talents trained at the studio, such as Pilipili Mulongoy (1914-2007) and Sylvestre Kaballa (b. 1920), he exhibited in France, Belgium, Italy and even New York.
The momentum continued in 1951, with the creation of the Poto-Poto School. Four generations of talented artists would emerge from this art studio, now an institution.
Modernism
Having long been the guarantor of social cohesion, Congolese art is now taking an individualistic turn. From the 1980s onwards, African artists claimed the right to express their personalities. Many of these sculptors and painters came to prominence with the Magiciens de la Terre exhibition, held in Paris at the Centre Georges-Pompidou and the Grande Halle de La Villette in 1989. Bodys Isek Kingelez has since established himself as one of the leading figures in contemporary African sculpture.
Born in 1948, Kingelez moved to Kinshasa, then a dilapidated metropolis. This chaotic environment inspired him to create his first work in 1979. Made from recycled cardboard, this "supra-model" is now on display at the Musée National de Kinshasa. From 1985 onwards, he devoted himself full-time to his artistic approach, which he called "architecture maquettique". His quest is to imagine a renewal in the service of the collective. His constructions, using a variety of salvaged materials, bear evocative titles: La Ville fantôme, Barcelona Post and Un monde réel, which we admired in 2015 at the Fondation Cartier, during the "Beauté Congo 1926-2015" exhibition. This tour of paintings, sculptures, photographs and comics invited visitors to immerse themselves in all that is unique about the Congo, against a backdrop of rumba, jazz and rap. The exhibition literally captivated the Parisian public.
Folk art figures
In 1978, the "Art partout" exhibition featured a handful of figurative artists. These young Kinshasa artists proposed a narrative style of painting that conveyed the voice of the people, addressing them directly. Three of these artists stood out in the 1980s: Chéri Samba, Chéri Chérin and Moke.
Joseph Kinkonda (aka Chéri Chérin) was born in 1955 in Kinshasa. His paintings deal with everyday life in Kinshasa, with occasional forays into political satire. He painted frescoes in the shops of his city. His talent was soon spotted by European collectors.
Chéri Samba, born in 1956, lives and works in Kinshasa. He follows in the footsteps of the popular artists Chéri Chérin and Moke. However, Chéri Samba adds text to his everyday scenes. His subtitles refer to the country's political, health and social news. In this way, he illustrates the concerns of everyone in a troubled Africa. To give his works a universal scope, Samba depicts himself as a militant observer at the center of his works. In this way, he raises public awareness of the most far-reaching issues: water supply, terrorist attacks, corruption, etc.
Moke (born Monsengwo Kejwamfi), born in 1950, died in 2001 in Kinshasa. Somewhere between naive art and "painting-reportage", he is acclaimed as the most talented chronicler of contemporary Congo. At the age of ten, he was living a vagabond life when he had the idea of painting on cardboard boxes. In 1965, Mobutu offered him a grant after seeing a portrait of him painted by the young artist. He subsequently exhibited in Berlin, as well as at the Centre Culturel français de Kinshasa (CCF) and the Goethe Institut de Kinshasa. In the 1990s, he became a fixture at exhibitions of modern African art. His style is characterized by a shimmering palette, achieved using industrial paint. His snapshots of everyday life (festivals, markets, events) feature cheerful characters. His portraits are identifiable by their blue backgrounds. He endlessly illustrates the mermaid Mami Wata, a character from African folklore who symbolizes the free woman.
Photo boom
Victor Miakabana, aka Macabus, was one of the first Congolese to adopt the camera to express his talent. Born in 1950, he made his debut in 1971, at a time when prints were sent to France to be developed. After learning the technical basics from the photographer DeKoum in Brazzaville, he soon received commissions, including from President Marien Ngouabi. Assigned to cover the Congolese soccer team's matches, he travelled the continent. In 1991, he took portraits of political leaders at major national conferences.
Later, young photographers keen to break into the industry joined the Génération Elili collective. Together, they show their creations in alternative locations: shops, schools, churches, markets... So many ways to reach the population.
In 2019, the place of this means of expression is strengthened with the birth of FAAP - Fédération Africaine sur l'Art photographique. In addition to offering training courses, it is working to gain recognition for an art that is slowly conquering the hearts of the public. In 2021, the ZOLA cultural center in Congo-Brazzaville will be retracing a century of history with the help of the Congolese people. Over 700 family photos will be exhibited outdoors, in places symbolic of the nation's history. "Portraits du Congo: 100 ans d'histoire de mémoire photographique" brilliantly underlined the importance of photography.
Contemporary art
As in many African countries, contemporary art is booming in the Congo. In the capital, the explosion of talent is attracting gallery owners and collectors from the four corners of the globe.
Since 2011, Angalia Gallery in Kinshasa has specialized in locally produced contemporary art. Both online and on its premises, it promotes exclusively Congolese creation. Both established and emerging artists benefit from the support of Pierre Daubert and Karin Barlet, the gallery's founders.
Winner of the Prix Dior de la photographie in 2020, Pamela Tulizo was born in Bukavu in 1994. Her mission is to reveal another facet of the Congo through her photos. Proud to have appropriated a means of expression once reserved for men, she now defends gender equality. Her work, in particular her "Double Identity" series, is developing her international reputation. A talent that reveals the many faces of the Congo.
In May-June 2022, Kinshasa hosted the fourth edition of Congo's only international graffiti and street-art festival. Workshops, concerts and screenings are held alongside live painting sessions. The festival is under the patronage of New York street-art icon Martha Cooper.
The most beautiful fresco in the Congo can be found in Pointe-Noire. On the long wall running alongside the Tchimbamba elementary school, the entire history of the Congo unfolds before our astonished eyes. In a tangle of portraits of characters and significant events, a message to remember appears: Let art communicate!
