Steve Bandoma, 1981

Steve Bandoma describes his work as the recycling of found objects and the appropriation of imagery from contemporary advertising and magazines — a way, he says, “to breathe new life into them.” In his recent series, he creates imagined portraits of the inhabitants of Kinshasa: shape-shifting beings, genetic mutations, and contemporary embodiments of traditional African gods and fetish figures.

Bandoma combines acrylic, watercolour, felt-tip pen, ink, and collage — often on handmade paper — giving his works a raw, tactile energy. Splashes of paint and bursts of colour add urgency and violence to his portraits. Inspired by the chaos of daily life and the fast-moving media that define Kinshasa’s street culture, his aesthetic reflects the dynamism of new artistic trends emerging from Africa.

Steve Bandoma lives and works in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. His work has been acquired by the **CAAC Pigozzi Collection** in Geneva and exhibited at the **New Orleans Museum of Art** (USA) and the **Fondation Cartier** in Paris.

source: CAACART