Sapin Makengele (Congo): talk + presentation March 7 and March 8, Sanaa Gallery, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
About:
With the Arabic Spring, the world has embraced a new dynamic in conflict and politics: the role of social media in the mediation of conflicts. This development is central to the research program ‘’Connecting in Times of Duress’’. Born in Kinshasa, DR Congo, in 1980, Sapin is a popular painter. Sapin’s work brings together political satire, social critique, and humor. His ability to navigate within and between these different worlds deeply informs his sensible artistic transfiguration of everyday life in Congo’s metropolis. By placing his canvases out in the public, i.e. at the university campus or at the street outside of his compound, Sapin provokes thought and conversation among the passersby.
A selected number of his works will be exhibited. On Saturday evening, a special opportunity is given to the visitor to learn more about the driving factors behind Sapin’s artworks. During this lecture, topics ranging from his own background and his hometown, Kinshasa, as sources of inspiration will be touched upon, to anecdotes about his work methods: working amidst the public, encouraging people to speak about the themes addressed in the works of art and provoking interest in the Congo’s history.
