Eva Barois De Caevel.- When we met in Paris in June you
explained to me that your style — this fusion of different techniques that
allows you to arrange surprising images — has been perceived as something
extremely new when you presented your work, for the first time, in Kinshasa.
Why, according to you?
SB - Yes, it’s true! I think this could be explained by three things:
First, the practice of collage on paper and of paper and the use of ink
was something almost nonexistent in Kinshasa. I wanted to exalt paper as a
valuable contemporary support of expression, a material ignored by many artists
in Kinshasa where the idea that if you are a painter, you must use oil painting
on a traditional canvas is very deeply rooted.
Another thing is my strong will to escape the many stereotypes that
still exist in contemporary art produced in Africa. I have the feeling that in
Africa, and specifically in Congo, artists feel encouraged to develop a form of
aesthetic that could still be considered as « typically African ». I
am looking for a more « balanced aesthetic » and, almost, a personal
one. That is also why I tried to avoid the use of some materials.
The last thing is maybe the intellectual commitment that I try to convey
through my work. I was trained with the idea that an artist is somebody who
masters the harmony of colors, who masters the art of perspective… But I needed
to develop a strong and convincing philosophy that could strengthen my art…
EBDC- Can you explain to me how you
imagined and put in practice this fusion of different techniques?
SB - During the time I spent in South Africa, I was in a
specific state of mind: training myself professionally and experiencing an
identity quest. I was interested in the American avant-garde. I tried different
mediums like installation, a bit of photography, performance… I was also
inspired by many African artists like Barthélemy Toguo, Wangechi Mutu, or William
Kentridge, to name a few. I think the will to melt different techniques you mention
could be seen as the fruit of theses exchanges, of my personal and artistic
path, and, most of all, of my curiosity. The choices of an artistic
« genre » and of a medium are some of the more crucial ones for an
artist; it will define him. I am a perfectionist and I tried to define very
precisely a technique that corresponded to me.
Steve Bandoma, Pain (Triptych), 2012 - Series Lost tribe - 105 x 75 cm each - Collage and ink on paper.
EBDC - As you know, I decided to invite
« painters » for this first edition of SWAB Gate, « painters »
understood in a very broad way, specifically when it comes to your work.
How do you position yourself in
relation to painting?
SB - First of all I must say that I don’t consider myself
as a painter, but simply as an artist. Contemporary art offers an
incommensurable freedom and I can’t work only with painting. I love the facts
that some mediums produce great things when put together and it is something I
love to explore.
EBDC- Did you paint in a more
traditional way at first?
What are you relations with an
aesthetic proper to the place where you produce your art, i.e. Kinshasa? And
how do you position yourself in the artistic scene of Kinshasa, in aesthetical
terms?
SB - During my training at the Fine arts school in
Kinshasa, we learnt how to paint in a traditional way, but we were critical
about this narrow academic system — that is still there, unfortunately — and
had the desire to propose something else. We created for instance a collective,
that was hosted by the Alliance Française: we called the movement
« Librisme », then « Librisme synergie ». During my
academic training I already started to experiment with collage and I liked it a
lot. But the style of collage that became a key in my aesthetic is something I
developed in South Africa.
Falling apart 2, Steve Bandoma
Mixed media on paper, 105x75cm, 2012
EBDC - What are the materials you use to
obtain these very different textures that are present in your work? I have the
feeling that this texture is pictorial in a way. It evokes some features of
pictoriality: drips, stains…?
SB - Concerning the variation of textures you can see in
some of my works I would rather say that it is something that is produced by my
unsatisfied creative mind! I use Canson paper, cut papers from popular
magazines (with various textures themselves), toilet paper, ink drops and stains,
or cotton pads! I need these different textures to create hybrid characters,
bizarre ones.
EBDC - You showed me recent works that
were an evocation of the colonial history: are your works still related to
political, historical, or topical questions?
SB - Art is something dynamic, man and society are moving,
and so is the artist obviously. The link between my work and my society is
present in the themes I choose to evoke. For instance, I sometimes want to
evoke things related to Congo or Africa. It was the case with the series
entitled "Lost Tribe" (2012): at this time I had the wish to revisit
African culture and aesthetics through our art history, through the masks and
ancient statues… I tried to contextualize these objects through a contemporary
aesthetic that is my own and by adding a touch of humor and provocation like I
usually love to do. But yes, most of my work is related to historical, political
and topical questions as you said.
EBDC - What do you have in mind these
days, what are the projects you would like to realize?
SB - I love to surprise people regularly. I try to
produce new series, to push my creativity. I have the feeling that I have a lot
to give, that I need to hurry! I am inspired by this latin
sentence "Ars longa vita brevis": I would like it to be the title and
state of mind of my next solo exhibition, that I would like to present in
Kinshasa first.