To kick off 2025, we present “Kin Eza Mboka Na Nga” (Kinshasa is My City) by Winnart Nsangu. This mixed-media painting features a charismatic figure whose eyes literally burst through their glasses with love for Kinshasa, while Paris sketches fade into the background. Through vibrant colors and bold symbolism, Nsangu captures the enduring connection to one’s roots. Discover the full story of this exceptional artwork.
Have you encountered yet another glowing tribute to “Le Hangar,” the supposed birthplace of modern Congolese art? Open any book about Congolese art history and three colonial names inevitably dominate the narrative: Georges Thiry, Pierre Romain Desfosses, and Laurent Moonens – as if Congolese art began with their “discovery.” This persistent colonial lens transforms art histories into tributes to European “mentors,” erasing centuries of pre-existing artistic traditions. Behind Le Hangar’s carefully curated image lies a darker truth: it served both as Belgium’s desperate attempt to rebrand its brutal colonial image into that of a “cultural protector,” and as a sophisticated system for controlling and profiting from Congolese art.
This essay examines both local and global contexts to expose how Le Hangar served not as an artistic sanctuary, but as a tool of colonial propaganda and economic exploitation—a reality that still shapes how Congolese art history is told today.
In “Le Réveil d’un Géant” (The Awakening of a Giant), Gedeon Ndonda masterfully bridges African traditions with digital futures. This mesmerizing 1-meter square oil painting features a central figure adorned with circuit boards and binary code, surrounded by a cosmic dance of symbolic elements. Drawing comparisons to Hieronymus Bosch’s intricate style, Ndonda creates a powerful vision of Africa’s technological and spiritual awakening, calling for consciousness and self-determination. Discover the full story of this exceptional artwork.