A few words about your artistic career
After training in graphic arts and plastic arts at the Beaux-Arts in Kinshasa, I had the opportunity to take part in solo and group exhibitions in the DRC as well as in France, Burkina Faso and Belgium. Since 2016, I have taken part in a number of workshops and completed several residencies. In 2019, I won the Prix Solidarité Laïque at the Ouagadougou International Sculpture Biennial.
How long have you been an artist?
Born in 1992 in Kisangani (DRC), I began my secondary education in 2005 with a course in the plastic arts at the Kinshasa Academy of Fine Arts. After that, I went on to do postgraduate studies in the interior design department. In 2014, I got my Baccalauréat in Graphic Arts and it was there, after my studies at the Académie des Beaux-Arts that I decided to get involved in performance, as a tool to develop my practice. In 2016, I decided to go to Goma to deepen my professional work for a few years.
Why did you apply for this scholarship? How will the scholarship support you?
Although the filmmakers, actors and I are determined to make this project a reality, it will require a certain financial investment. This grant will give us a lot of encouragement, but it will also enable us to carry out a creative residency with disadvantaged children, who will be able to build their own robots and learn about film.
What are your concrete artistic objectives after this residency?
The aim is to put on a wandering performance in disadvantaged neighbourhoods and to make a fictional documentary film about the project.
For me, the Covid-19 crisis is a final warning from nature and the planet. My artistic career already denounced the disruption of our materialistic societies. I feel it is my duty to raise awareness and influence decision-makers so that the world can change.
What did you achieve during this creative residency? What is the result (work created)? Who was involved in the creative process?
We held an artistic residency for a week, including the making of a film. There were street children to make the cardboard robots, a visual artist, a dancer/actress and a production company called Est Ouest Production.
We made a 7-minute experimental film.
How do you think these activities help us to think about the world today, in relation to the COVID-19 crisis, and/or about building for the future?
The film looks at environmental degradation and its repercussions: covid-19 is a consequence of our actions, as is the abandonment of children. The message is that we need to review our lifestyles and think about future generations.
How did you feel during the residency? And afterwards?
The residency was difficult and had an impact on the film. The children and artists had been in crisis for months and this project was a breath of fresh air for them. Unfortunately, they were already worn out by the situation, so it was difficult to achieve our objectives.
We adapted to the people involved by lightening the work and limiting travel. The result is a film that is even more experimental than expected, with a lot of improvisation. It's a film that respects the script and the original idea, but also reflects the atmosphere of the residency.
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