J-P Mika is one of the artists in the first edition of ‘(OFF)ICIELLE’ at Les Docks, Cité de la Mode et du Design, Paris. October 22 till October 26.
Mandela, 2011.
About:
Jean-Paul Nsimba Mika was born in Kinshasa in 1980. Mika has a great gift for drawing and started out at the very young age of 13 painting advertising boards to earn a little money. JP Mika is from a poor family and started to study business while trying to generate income and put money to one side. He finally went to the Academy of Fine Arts late on in life in 2005. He graduated in 2007, convinced that he had the potential to succeed. Chéri Chérin took him under his wing and gave him the opportunity to travel abroad for the first time to exhibit his work in Bilbao in 2008. However, Mika continued to live a hand-to-mouth existence. He produced a lot of works in order to sell a lot, meaning that he did not show the full extent of his talent. However, he listened to advice and accepted criticism and even asked for more, and drew closer to Chéri Samba, who was impressed by his professionalism. He finally became aware that he is a match for the best artists, as long as he applies a more meticulous approach to his work. Since then, he has been devoting more time to his canvases and the result is clear to see.
Mika et Mika, 2014.
JP Mika is rightly considered to be one of the most promising Congolese artists. JP Mika’s artistic world is multi-faceted: narrative figure painting centring on subjects from national and international life, depiction of ‘dressed up’ and humanized animals, who return humans to their condition of evolved primitive people, and perspectives of different cultures and over time.
Mika has had the opportunity to travel to Europe and exhibit his work there every year since 2008. He travelled to Spain in 2008 and 2009 and then to Belgium in 2010 and 2011. JP Mika is calm and reserved but behind this public mask lies a highly determined character.
Represented by
Magnin-A (pictures 3 + 4)
Paris
ANGALIA (pictures 1 + 2)
Meudon
France
Galerie Degbomey (picture 5)
