DRC: Art questions the status quo
For the artists of the Democratic Republic of Congo, their work is a balancing act. They have to express themselves, appeal to the international arts scene and engage with their community. DW met some of the artists.
Kinshasa’s hidden gems
Freddy Tsimba and his artwork have travelled around the world, but he is based in Matonge not far from the Place des Artistes in the heart of Kinshasa's art scene. This is where he creates and stores his artwork. The gate to his house displays a work by French street artist Goin called 'Peace unleashed'.
The artist's living room
Life comes from women, so why shouldn't he dedicate his art to them, says Tsimba. His works fill every corner of the house and his entire courtyard. His sculptures are made of old spoons, keys and even bullet casings, collected in parts of the DRC which have experienced conflict. It takes him about three months to finish one of his giant sculptures.
'Arrested'
'I don't interpret my art, others do,' says the soft-spoken artist. His art, Tsimba insists, is not political and he doesn’t want to take sides. Nevertheless, his work is shaped by the tragedies of war and the life in DRC, which has seen its share of authoritarian rule. The women with their hands up against the wall as if they are waiting to be frisked is just one example.
Among men
Julie Djikey seems almost shy standing outside Kinshasa's Academie des Beaux Arts. Yet the street is where the performance artist works. There were many women in her art course, says Djikey, but very few pursued a career in art. Surviving as an artist is not easy. Djikey's performances have been showcased on the streets of Kinshasa, Yaounde and Hannover as well as in National Geographic.
Raising awareness, not only about the art
Djikey's work focuses on women's issues and the environment. People are not used to her kind of performance art, she says. A woman, covered in paint, wearing nothing but old car parts? Djikey has found her pictures in African magazines, where she was branded as mentally ill or connected to witchcraft. But she believes that when people actually see her performances, they understand the message.
Kinshasa’s music and arts culture
Dolet Malalu is Djikey’s partner in crime. He believes art should not only be displayed in museums, but should confront people on the streets. He filmed Djikey during her walks around the neighborhoods of Kinshasa. His own artwork reflects Kinshasa’s musical and artistic culture. The city’s fashionable gentlemen - the Sapeurs - are often subject of what he calls his child-like paintings.
The golden Kalashnikov
Outside his mother’s home, Malalu shows me his art. In the background are the Sapeurs, in the foreground is Malalu sitting in his own installation which is on display. It's a golden throne, a polystyrene Kalashnikov and two helmets representing the UN and the army. The original installation was surrounded with barbed wire. A dictator’s throne. Untouchable.
The unconventional one
'Draw', Kura Shomali demanded, holding out a crayon. He had propped up his half-finished painting on his neighborhood street, just outside Kinshasa, and was now persuading passers-by to color in the white spaces.
Learning outside the classroom
He often draws like this, Shomali said. The children of the quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of Kinshasa know him as the one who has been to France and Europe. That’s something they’d like to do, too. But only rarely do they get the chance to draw. At school they don't have art classes, even though Kinshasa has one of the best art schools in the region.
The artist’s way
As a student Shomali thought of himself as a rebel against the fine arts tradition at the Academie des Beaux Arts. His works often portray famous people such as Muhammad Ali who came to Kinshasa for the legendary ‘Rumble in the Jungle’. The parrot is also a recurring theme in his art. It’s his conscience.