A few words about your artistic career
I'm an artist trained at the Institut des Beaux-Arts in Lubumbashi.
I've done a number of graffiti pieces in various cultural venues around the city. My latest project is an exhibition at the Waza art centre in January 2020.
How long have you been an artist?
At the end of my studies, I ventured into another field but I couldn't blossom there. I decided to return to the art I've been practising for 15 years; I feel in my element.
Why did you apply for this scholarship? How will the scholarship support you?
In these times of health crisis, opportunities for artists are few and far between. This grant will be an opportunity for me to pursue my passion while raising awareness in my town.
What are your concrete artistic objectives after this residency?
Raise awareness and engage in dialogue with the public to understand how they perceive the situation and what the post-covid situation will be.
What did you achieve during this creative residency? What is the result (work created)?
Thanks to this Africalia grant, I was able to produce the three works planned for the project. I began by reading three texts written by three writers and bloggers from Harari RDC. They were the source of my inspiration. Then I recorded these three texts in DJ Spilulu's studio.
After the recording, I began work on the piece itself. It consists of three frescoes. The first was painted on the wall of the Waza art centre, depicting Kisha Covid from a cultural perspective. Then there was the one at the Mzee Laurent Désiré Kabila market, which was painted and then moved to the exhibition space. Finally, Kisha covid's social work was done on site at the Centre d'Eveil pour la Femme C.E.F., a centre where I look after children from broken homes. All this was accompanied by a discussion with the audience.
At the end of this process, I edited a video which is the finished digital product of the work.
**How do you feel these activities are helping you to reflect on the world today, in relation to the COVID-19 crisis, and/or on building for the future?
These activities organised by Africalia provide an opportunity for real reflection. They provide an opportunity to compare the analyses made by artists and audiences in different cities and countries. In the future, this could lead to solutions to the problems associated with Covid 19.
How did you feel during the residency? And afterwards?
The feeling is one of satisfaction, because the product was produced as planned, despite the difficulties encountered in drafting the texts and the unavailability of collaborators, which sometimes disrupted the timetable.
[(
Kisha Covid
)]
