KURA SHOMALI

Born in 1979, Kananga, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kura Shomali live and works in Kinsahasa. In 2001, Kura Shomali interrupted his medical studies, and integrated the Academy of Fine Arts of Kinshasa where he took part to the creation of the group EZA possible. He creates works on paper in which he boldly mixes charcoal, ball pen, gouache, ink, marker and collage, which gives a unique aspect and texture to his work. His first drawings, made in a hurry, are inspired by the bubbling city of Kinshasa and by the magazines that pass from hand to hand. His work is a reflection of the chaotic megalopolis where he lives and that he "digests" as he explains himself. In his most recent works, Kura Shomali appropriates images of well-known African photographers and artists that he interprets with humor (Samuel Fosso, Sammy Balogi, Malick Sidibé, Jean Depara, ...) He also creates puppets from recycled materials, that he stages in videos in which the puppets talk to expose corruption and conflicts that gangrene his country. His work is in CAAC, the Pigozzi Collection in Geneva, Switzerlandl; the collection of Farida et Henri Seydoux in Paris, France; Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain, Paris, France; Fondation Alliances, Casablanca, Morocco; Pizzuti Collection, USA; Collection Gervanne et Matthias Leridon, Paris, France; the Saatchi Collection in London, United Kingdom and Fundación AMMA in Mexico City, Mexico.