London

Bakambana, Ngimbi
Born 1977 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
Lives and works in Paris, France
Ngimbi Bakambana's paintings are a form of pictorial commentary on le Sape (Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes) centred on the Congo region and reminiscent of the Dandy and Rudeboy cultures found elsewhere. Sapology is a state of mind and a set of behaviours and attitudes rooted in urbanity and embodied in the ‘Kitendi religion,’ described as a religion of fabrics and fashions. In his expressionist approach to art, the artist draws inspiration from the social context of his native Congo to express his thoughts and understanding of the world through colours. He borrows from various sources that allow him to venture into a chromatic universe, both philosophical and historical, interweaving motifs from ancient Egypt to Jazz, and analysing them through the expressionist vision from the world of Sapologists.
Ngimbi Bakambana, Nanga-Boko 2, 2019, Acrylic on canvas, 200 x 160 cm. Courtesy Galerie Atiss Dakar. |

Artists 2021