Colours of Congo
23 février / 20 juin
- UMAG An article from : https://www.umag.hku.hk/

COLOURS OF CONGO : PATTERNS, SYMBOLS AND NARRATIVES IN 20TH-CENTURY CONGOLESE PAINTINGS
Colours of Congo: Patterns, Symbols and Narratives in 20th-Century Congolese Paintings displays a selection of Congolese work
created from the 1920s to 1960. Thanks to unprecedented access to extensive archives and art collections, the exhibition’s narrative
presents a generous overview of paintings that were instigated when a single artist from Belgium began a painting workshop so as to
collaborate with the indigenous population of Elisabethville (modern-day Lubumbashi).
This first studio was followed by other workshops that assisted in developing a hybrid artform that remains a celebrated phenomenon. The
European influence of painting first began with Georges Thiry, who worked for Belgium’s colonial administration starting in 1926. In
Elisabethville, Thiry had noticed a series of painted murals of crocodiles and birds. He inquired about the artist and was introduced to
Albert Lubaki. Thiry was fascinated by the artist Lubaki, his wife, and the other community members who continued to document their
connection to the natural world through wall paintings.
The exhibition and accompanying volume of essays primarily examines this group of paintings as artworks worth considering on their own
merits—describing their techniques and inherent beauty, while acknowledging that their iconographic contents reflect daily life within
village communities. The juxtaposition of European artists and artistic materials brought to Africa, and the display of African paintings
in European art metropolises, initiated decades of intense collaboration and cultural exchange.
MORE INFO : https://www.umag.hku.hk/en/exhibition_detail.php?id=3543397
Rencontre avec Florian Knothe, directeur de UMAG
Florian Knothe, jamais très loin de la France - ARTICLE
complet
Paroles numéro 260 - La couverture est extrait de l'exposition Couleurs du Congo

