chéri samba. abstracts of a conversation with the artist .....................................................................................................................................................
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chéri samba chéri samba's work has been introduced in italy since 1992, with a solo show at the gallery studio raffaelli in trento (http://www.studioraffaelli.com). designboom recently met him at the booth of the gallery at milan's MIARTE art fair. ( it's was very difficult to take a picture of the artist, he's very shy! during his 3-day-stay in milan, he bought a lot of sardines and beer to eat in his hotel room, he didn't accept the many 'art folks' dinner invitations, he did not go out to see the city...) thanks to the collection of the studio raffaelli and the illustrated catalogue, with an interview by gian marco montesano, we are able to show you some of these very interesting works. --- abstracts of a conversation with the artist 'critics in kinshasa have never accepted the phrases in my paintings, they think of painting in a more western manner. yet the truth, in my paintings, is almost always expressed in the sentences inserted in the paintings. often they contradict the scene represented... for example, for a person from zaire, nudity is scandalous: I paint it, I make it visible, and then,with a phrase, I find a way of saying 'don't look'. I like these paradoxes.' samba says. 'my painting is concerned with people's lives. I'm not interested in myths or beliefs. that's not my goal. I want to change our mentality that keeps us isolated from the world. I appeal to people's consciences. artists must make people think.' I like all works of art. I like all works of art whether I understand them or not . not that everybody will make understandable things, certain works demand reflection before getting to know them, even the author must be there for him to explain it to you. so I do not take chances as to say - this I don't like - this I like, I like all works of art, all that my colleagues do, interests me. it's art, what we do. there is no limit, we are artists. it's art that comes from the name artist. I am an artist. ' 'I have a wife and two kids who are girls - they are called mimba samba and quilolo samba. mimba is the name of my father and quilolo is the name of my grandmother. I did not try to find out what samba means. I know samba is a dance... but it also meansto pray, to question. I like to watch people while they dance. at times I sing, there was a time when I sang, I use to make up my own songs, they are in my paintings, although it is not evident.' --- short biography 'samba wa mbimba n'zinga nurimasi mdombasi', called 'chéri samba', was born on 30 december 1956 in lower zaire in kinito mvulta. he lives and works in kinshasa, kongo and paris. when he was a young boy he used to sell his 'humorous' sketches outside his elementary school. his family moved to kinshasa in 1972. after apprenticing for a few months in different sign painters shops, he opened his own shop in the street kasa bubu. in regard to contents and form, chéri samba's painting is characterised by the immediate concern with zaire's social reality in respect to his personal existence as an artist. his paintings, imbued with political awareness, are always representational, realistic, and their bright colors come from the use of acrylic paint. his canvases use a cartoon-like style together with the subtle synthesis of advertising images, verbal inventiveness, drawn especially from the cinema. his themes are: customs, sexuality, illness, social inequalities, corruption... he is, with the painter moke, one of the principal founders of the school of painting referred to as 'popular zairean'. that's how he obtained, very soon, a big local following and coined the expression to designate himself: 'cheri samba: popular artist'. chéri samba's last works are currently on show at the royal museum for central africa, tervuren,belgium 7 may - 28 september 2003 http://www.africamuseum.be --- selected solo exhibitions: 1999 ludwig forum für internationale kunst, aachen, germany 1998 mamco, geneva, switzerland 1997 überseemuseum, bremen, germany 1996 national museum of oceanian and africain arts, paris, france 1992 gallery studio raffaelli, trento, italy kunsthalle, basel, switzerland stadtmuseum munich, germany wadsworth atheneum, hartford, connecticut, usa 1991 portikus kunsthalle, frankfurt, germany ICA -institut of contemporary art, london, uk fondation mirò, barcelona, spain museum of contemporary art, chicago, usa --- ------- monthly designboom newsletter ------- ------- ? comments and contact us ? -------	chéri samba © designboom --- 'l'argent de patrons', 1992 canvas at the MIARTE booth © chéri samba --- > money of the patrons --- 'viellir avant l'age', 1992 © chéri samba courtesy gallery studio raffaelli --- > 1. ageing before its time > > 2. people think I earn a lot of money and so I age > before its time because I can't fulfil all of their needs. > they don't believe me when I gather flowers instead > of money. --- 'retard a l'ecole x', 1991 © chéri samba courtesy gallery studio raffaelli --- > 1. late to school x > > 2. here is 5,000 zaire because I'm late. > > 3. hey kid, you have to give me 10,000 zaire because > you're 10 minutes late. --- 'liteya', 1991 © chéri samba courtesy gallery studio raffaelli --- > 1. where are you going friend? > - I'm going to try to make a living in europe because > here it is impossible. > - dear friend, your life is here in africa. > in europe young people are unemployed and they live > stuck between walls. how can you be a success. --- 'divorce mal digéré', 1992 © chéri samba courtesy gallery studio raffaelli --- > 1. divorce, not accepted > > 2. leave in a hurry, otherwise my husband will come and > he is very jealous. he may get strange ideas. > > 3. I'm married but I love you, wait here I'll be right back. --- 'bouche dans la rue', 1992 © chéri samba courtesy gallery studio raffaelli --- > 1. a mouth in the street. > > 2. where are you going handsome? > I've been starving all night; give me some money and I'll > make some tea. I'm saved, since I saw you. > > 3. I'm going in this direction, but I have to tell you that > I'm not happy that you are speaking to me while you are > brushing your teeth. it is a sign of disrespect.