Sting like a bee - 2013

100 x 150 cm
Mixed Media, ink and watercolor on paper

The greatest - 2013

100 x 150 cm
Mixed Media, ink and watercolor on paper

The last round - 2013

100 x 150 cm
Mixed Media, ink and watercolor on paper

The Rumble in the juggle - 2013

100 x 150 cm
Mixed Media, ink and watercolor on paper

Steve Bandoma

Born 1981, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Lives and works in Kinshasa.

Bandoma describes his work as recycling found objects, appropriating imagery from contemporary advertising and magazines, in order 'to breathe new life into them'. In his most recent series, the artist creates imagined portraits of the inhabitants of Congo's sprawling capital Kinshasa. A shape shifting species of genetic mutations, his images are contemporary embodiments of traditional African gods and fetish objects.

Bandoma combines acrylic, watercolour, felt-tip pen, ink, and collage, often on handmade paper to give these works a tangible energy. Splashes of paint and bursts of colour add violence and urgency to his portraits. Inspired by the chaos of daily life and the fast moving media that make up Kinshasa's street culture, the artist's aesthetic approach and choice of materials reflect a dynamism in new artistic trends stemming from Africa.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2019

Na Kinshasa Eza Possible, Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris, France

2019

Megalopolis - Stimmen aus Kinshasa, Grassi Museum für Volkerkunde zu Leipzig, Germany

2018

African Passions, Palais Cadaval, Evora, Portugal

2017

Histoires congolaises, bibliothèque Robert-Desnos, Montreuil, France

POSSESSION, Centre Culturel Texaf-Bilembo, Kinshasa, Congo

2016

Lumières d'Afriques, Donwahi Foundation, Abidjan, Ivory Coast

2015

Beauté Congo – 1926-2015 – Congo Kitoko, Fondation Cartier, Paris, France

2013

‘Le Combat du Siècle’, Galerie Antonio Nardone, Brussels, Belgium

‘Kongo across the Waters’, Harn Museum, Florida, USA

2010

FOCUS, Basel, Switzerland

‘Currencies in Contemporary African Art’, Museum Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa

2008

‘Abazobie’, Nelson Mandela Museum, Cape Town, South Africa

2007

Cape Biennale, Blank Project Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa

BIBLIOGRAPHY

2021

Ex Africa - Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac - Sous la direction de Philippe Dagen - Gallimard, Paris