Zemba Luzamba (b.1973),
Ensemble, 2022
About:
He is a Congolese painter who interrogates and satirizes social and political power structures in Africa. A contemporary realist, Luzamba’s paintings hover on the border of satire, at once appearing to mimic the colonial lifestyle of the post-colonial elites while simultaneously bringing it into question. Is this pure observation, aspiration or critique? Although born and raised in the DRC, Luzamba moved to South Africa to pursue his career as an artist and this experience of migration has allowed him an intimate and sympathetic view of migrant communities which has informed many of his works over the past 15 years. Situating his subjects in bold fields of colour which disassociate them from concrete spaces and times allows Luzamba to portray certain situations as universal ideas, giving the viewer the freedom to interpret these scenes within a way that is relevant to their own contexts. This combined with his skilful observation of body language emphasizes the immediacy and proximity occupied by the viewer to his work.
Solo exhibitions include Kitendi, Galerie Studer, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire (2023), TOTEM, EBONY/CURATED Cape Town, South Africa (2023); In the Name of…, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK (2022); Connecxion, EBONY/CURATED Cape Town, South Africa (2019); Déjà vu at the 5th Picha Biennale de Lubumbashi, DR Congo (2017); In The South – Paintings from 2004-2017, Stellenbosch University Museum, South Africa (2017); Genesis, EBONY/CURATED, Franschhoek, South Africa (2016); It Is What It Is, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa (2015); LA SAPE, AVA Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa (2013); LA SAPE, AVA Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa (2012); Hope for Refugees, Rome, Italy (2005); Untitled, AVA Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa (2004).
Group exhibitions include (Upcoming) Where the Wild Roses Grow, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Schloss Görne, Germany (2023); ‘Print Co-Lab’, Michaelis Galleries, Cape Town, South Africa (2023); Investec Cape Town Art Fair, EBONY/CURATED, South Africa (2023), If You Look Hard Enough, You Can See Our Future, African American Museum, Dallas, USA (2023); Tomorrow is Tomorrow is Tomorrow; Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK (2023); ‘Untitled Miami Beach’, with Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Miami, USA (2022); When We See Us, A century of black figurative in painting, Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Capetown, South Africa (Zeitz MOCAA), South Africa (2022); Shout Plenty, the African Artists Foundation, Lagos, Nigeria (2022); AAGA annual African Galleries Now online edition powered by Artsy, Africa (2022); A Very Loop Street Summer, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa (2021); Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt, FNB Art Joburg, Open City, Keyes Art Mile, Rosebank, Johannesburg, South Africa (2021); 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, EBONY/CURATED booth, London, England (2021); 8 by 8, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa (2021); Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Virtual Representation, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa (2021); 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, (Virtual Representation) EBONY/CURATED, New York, US (2021); In [the] Loop, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa (2021); FNB Art Joburg online edition, Main Booth, Johannesburg, South Africa (2020); Intersect Chicago online edition of SOFA Expo, Chicago, US (2020); AKAA (Also Known as Africa) 2019, Paris, France (2019); A Smaller Scale, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa (2019); Investec Cape Town Art Fair, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa (2019); The Summer Exhibition, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa (2018); From the Horse’s Mouth, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa (2017); Beyond Binaries, Durban Art Gallery, Durban, South Africa (2016); That Art Fair, Cape Town, South Africa (2015); In Print/In Focus, Michealis Galleries, Cape Town, South Africa (2015).
Highlights and Collections
Luzamba’s work can be found in international private and public collections, including Durban Art Gallery (South Africa), Irma Stern Museum (South Africa), Nandos Art Collection (UK), Nandos Art Collection (South Africa), Scalabrini House (Italy), Cultures Inc (US), Museum of Modern Art (Equatorial Guinea) Jorge M. Pérez Collection (US), Fondation H Museum (Madagascar); The Bunker Art Space (USA), UTA Artist Space Collection (USA) . Courtesy: Kristin Hjellegjerde