Kudzanai Chiurai
Kudzanai Chiurai’s (born in 1981, Zimbabwe) scathing theatrical compositions about African power and corruption have won him a growing following. Born one year after Zimbawe’s emergence from white-ruled Rhodesia – Chiurai’s early work focused on the political, economic and social strife in his homeland.
The Minister of Finance (2009) by Kudzanai ChiuraiContemporary African Art Collection - The Jean Pigozzi Collection
Chiurai works with photography, video, painting and drawing, inspired by hip-hop, street art and graffiti. This "Parliament" series of mock portraits depicts imaginary government members in a parody of African masculinity and political power.
Surtentures #9 (...because where the mind wanders is the conundrum of freedom) (2015) by Emo de MedeirosContemporary African Art Collection - The Jean Pigozzi Collection
Emo de Medeiros
Emo de Medeiros's (born in 1979, Paris, France) work is based on a single concept, which he calls contexture, which emphasizes transculturalness, interconnection, transformation, hybridization and the circulation of forms, myths and merchandises in a post- colonial, globalized and digitalized world, employing notions of origin, place and identity to question their context within our increasingly globalized culture.
His artworks always include a salient conceptual dimension, and are characterized by a participatory, serial and rhythmic approach, by a mix of traditional and technological materials and media, as well as the link between art, spirituality and transcendence.
Tony Gum
Born in 1995 in Cape Town, South Africa, Tony Gum started a very creative blog age 15 and developed her image-making talent through social media. Inspired by globalization, Western brands, everyday life objects and fashion, her playful self-portraits aim at promoting African women representation in African popular culture. In her “Black Coca-Cola Series”, she addresses her Xhosa heritage as well as “Bunny-Girl” icones.
Bunny Girl - Black Coca Cola Series (2015) by Tony GumContemporary African Art Collection - The Jean Pigozzi Collection
Working both behind the scenes and front-and-centre, Tony flits between the roles of art director, model, stylist and photographer when creating her conceptual imagery.
Houston Maludi
The artist Houston Maludi (born in 1978, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo) draws since childhood, he made his first drawings with watercolors he got from an uncle and a stick as a brush. He entered the School of Fine Arts in Kinshasa in 1993. He graduated in 1997 from the "painting" section.
Life In Jinshas II (2014) by Houston MaludiContemporary African Art Collection - The Jean Pigozzi Collection
After several years of research and aesthetic experiments, he created in 2008 what he calls the "Symbiotic Quantum Monochromique Cubism" which corresponds to its "own" Cubism, he gets a "symbiosis of forms."
JP Mika
JP Mika (born in 1980, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo) took an early interest in drawing and ornamentation and attended the painting department of the Kinshasa Academy of Fine Art. He also went to ARAP, The Popular Art Research Studio created by the artist Chéri Chérin who later became his “Master”.
Stone Breakers Célestin Badibanga (2012) by Jean-Paul Nsimba MikaContemporary African Art Collection - The Jean Pigozzi Collection
As Chéri Samba before him, Mika puts himself on stage in his works, painting self portraits or adding himself in group composition - most of the time dressed as a “sapeur” (group of well-dressed men). His very realistic paintings are nevertheless benevolent and whatever the subject, he gently and kindly paints a modern, dynamic and happy Africa.
PO. Box. Labyrinthe.com (2018) by Jean David NkotContemporary African Art Collection - The Jean Pigozzi Collection
Nkot addresses themes surrounding trans-African migration. His works combine detailed portraits with layers of complex cartographic information.
Telepathy I (2018) by Joseph ObanubiContemporary African Art Collection - The Jean Pigozzi Collection
He considers his work to be a visual bricolage - a(re)constructing of different subjects taken from their original context into a new one with their preconceived meanings replaced with a new line ofthought. His approach is mostly surreal and Afro-futuristic, providing an alternative way of seeing regular things.
Poison Election (2011) by AboudiaContemporary African Art Collection - The Jean Pigozzi Collection
His urban landscapes, inspired by the riots that followed the presidential elections in Ivory Coast in 2010, are haunted by armed soldiers and a populace hemmed in by violence and danger. Often claustrophobic and oppressive, the vitality of his paintings frequently recalls Basquiat.
