The Jean Pigozzi African Art Collection

Bodys Isek Kingelez, Kunstverein, Hamburg, Germany

from 03/03/2001 to 06/05/2001


PHOTO: FRED DOTT/KUNSTVEREIN


Bodys Isek Kingelez (* 1948 in Kimbembele Ihunga, lives in Kinshasa) has been producing architectural models made of colored cardboard and paper since the 1980s. In his models he processes the colonial heritage of modernist architecture and at the same time draws attention to current urban developments in his home country. The sketches of the "Extrêmes Maquettes" (Extreme Models) are the themes of the social significance of architecture and the design of urban utopias, where the state's supervisory mechanisms are obsolete. There are neither police, nor prisons in the cities of Kingelez, and the largest buildings are sports stadiums or public facilities. These urban visions can also be interpreted as a critique of the real capitalist and postcolonial conditions of his country. Kingelez is one of the most famous African artists in international exhibitions with participations in numerous group exhibitions and biennials (eg Documenta 11).


Sponsored by Afrika-Verein, Hamburg and AFAA (Association Française d'Action Artistique)
Thanks to CAAC - The Pigozzi Collection, Geneva
Link to the exhibition website