Young Artists Residency
The programme was aimed at young professionals aged 26 or under, based in Kinshasa, with a proven interest in a transdisciplinary approach and in the interaction between practice and theory. The residency was open to artists/researchers working in the following disciplines: Fine arts, visual arts (digital art, video, new media, photography, installation, performance, etc.) and art theory. The selected candidates developed their projects as part of a two-month artistic residency. They receive a production budget and a workspace, and work with experts to develop the theoretical aspects. They are supported by the Laboratoire Kontempo team in carrying out their projects. The residencies will took place between mid-October 2023 and February 2024.
Seven artists have been selected:
Merveille Kalume Abilwa alias Merkal
Mélissa Kazadi Kayowa
Gradi Kikonda alias Gradi Chéri Chérin
Anli Lukunku Kabeya
Serge Matuta
Antalya Mbafumoya Tchomba
Samuel Mwani Ngange
Program
09 november 2023
Artist talk Mohsen Hazrati
Venue: Centre Culturel Mokili na Poche, Av. Batetela N°79, C/Bandalungwa, Réf. Les pharmacies du marché Molaert
The programme is open to the public and free of charge.
As part of Laboratoire Kontempo’s current residency programme for young artists, Mohsen Hazrati will be holding an Artist Talk to share his experiences with the young artists in residence. As a new media artist, he will talk mainly about digital art, virtual images and the possibilities of technology in art. The presentation is also open to the public.
16 novembre 2023
Poetry as a curatorial method
Venue: Plateforme Contemporaine
The event is open to the public and free of charge.
In 2024, Dzekashu MacViban is invited to curate an exhibition as part of the Kontempo Laboratory. During his first research trip to Kinshasa in November 2023, he will present his work as a writer and editor. He will also talk about his curatorial practice.
14 December 2023
Residency feedback and Artist talk
At Mokili Na Poche, Bandalungwa, Av. Batetela N°79
The Laboratoire Kontempo invites: Residency feedback and Artist talk with Gradi Chéri Cherin, Samuel Mwani and Merkal Abilwa
Participants in the first group of Laboratoire Kontempo’s residency programme for young artists present their projects. Gradi Chéri Cherin is taking a critical look at the current reception of popular painting, Merkal Abilwa has devised a visual dialogue with artificial intelligence, and Samuel Mwami is looking at young people’s urban cultures through photography.
10 February 2024
Residency feedback and Artist Talk
With Melisa Kayowa, Anli Lukunku, Antalya Jaël and Serge Matuta. The participants in the second group of Laboratoire Kontempo’s residency programme for young artists will present their projects.
Melisa Kayowa reflects on her own identity in the context of family traditions, while Anli Lukunku combines the pre-colonial past with a vision of the future through a virtual utopian city. Antalya Jaël evokes Arab-Swahili origins in the form of a genealogical roulette wheel, and Serge Matuta takes a critical look at contemporary art in Kinshasa and highlights its chronology.