STEVE BANDOMA

Steve Bandoma is a Congolese painter born in 1981 in Kinshasa, where he currently lives and works. A graduate of the Kinshasa Academy of Fine Arts in 2004, he rejected traditional academic teachings and joined the Librisme Synergiemovement, a branch of Kinshasa’s contemporary art scene. After his studies, he moved to South Africa, then to Paris for a residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts. In 2012, he returned to Kinshasa and gained recognition through exhibitions at the Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles and the Institut Français.

His work combines collage, drawing, and painting, exploring themes such as post-colonial politics, corruption, and social inequality. He uses found objects and imagery from popular culture to create imagined portraits of Kinshasa's residents, blending contemporary aesthetics with traditional symbolism. Bandoma is known for his ability to merge social critique with artistic creativity, establishing himself as a key figure in contemporary African art.