Steve Bandoma (1981)
Mute (Milembo series)
2022 | ink on paper | 35 × 30 cm
Steve Bandoma takes us on a journey in the dynamic world of contemporary African art. After graduating from the School of Fine Arts in Kinshasa in 2004, he turned away from the traditional academic methods and joined a movement that opposed the theoretical limitations of black African art. His art reflects the hustle and bustle of Kinshasa and ever-changing African society.
In his series entitled Milembo, which means ‘code’, Bandoma is critical of the assumption that the African tradition is only communicated orally or by using hand gestures: that it has never had a written language. The bodies of the people portrayed in the series serve as a means of expression because they are mute. This is the artist’s way of depicting his own thoughts.
Bandoma’s work spans various techniques, such as painting, drawing, sculpture and collage. By reusing pictures from magazines, he gives them new meaning and life.
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