Referred to as ‘Shula’ within his local environment of Kinshasa, Monsengo Shula (otherwise Jean-Bosco Monsengo) learnt under the guidance of Moke, a leading artist of the Kinshasa school of painting that was formed in the wake of Zaire’s independence.

Shula’s highly constructed narrative scenes stem from everyday life, shaping a charged critique that explicates political injustice and consequences of overpopulation. He distinguishes himself apart from other ‘popular’ painters, associated to the school such as Moke and Chéri Samba through his distinctive palette. His recent paintings draw focus to issues surrounding global ecology, both environmental and political, such as public policy and economic development. Shula has been exhibited widely on an international scale, including Kin-Babi at Galerie Cécile Fakhoury in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, in 2013-2014.