EDDY KAMUANGA ILUNGA | INFLUENCE

October Gallery, London

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Born in Africa’s third largest urban area, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga is one of the most enterprising and exciting young artists working in Africa today. He received his training in classical painting at the Académie des Beaux-Art. Although this provided the artist with sophisticated painting method, the programme at the Académie conceptually limited his creative output, which led him to abandon the programme. In 2011, alongside other young and ambitious artists from Kinshasa, Eddy formed the collective M’Pongo, progressively critiquing via their medium, contemporary life in the DRC. 

Skeptical of the immense growth and modernization across the DRC, Eddy’s works draw influence from an increasingly industrial DRC, historic ways of life and rituals of the Congolese people are being eroded, resulting in a heavy strain on communities adamant on resisting globalization in favour of their traditional ways. Through his work, Eddy has explored the relationship between industry, technology and the historic traditions of the Mangbetu people, who live in the Orientale Province of DRC. Influence is no exception, as he represents the plight of the Mangbetu in a fervent manner. The Mangbetu are known for the practice of skull elongation. It is unequivocal that the lone female in Influence, is a Mangbetu woman, identified through her elongated head and hairstyle. Influence is an anthropological study, a preservation and a veneration of the Mangbetu for generations to come.

Ilunga’s work taps into the rich, yet complex history of Congo. His work is politically charged and culturally sensitive. DRC is the largest exporter of coltan, a mineral key in the production of mobile phones and computer chips. In the present lot, the skin of the subject is embellished and embedded with computer chips. The embellished skin is a reference to the harshness of conditions which the workers face when they extract the coltan mineral.

Ilunga places the Mangbetu female at the forefront of his critique, although heroic in the preservation and immortalisation of the traditions of the Mangbetu, the subject is stripped to only her possessions. She is draped in a beautifully patterned vibrant clothing, adorned with a gold necklace and crucifix – all symbols of centuries old and continuous dialogue between Africa and the West. The subject in Influence appears to be caught in both worlds of maintaining her traditional ways or conforming to a normalized consumerist culture and accepting a Western Religion. The artist comprehends that one cannot discern an applicable solution for present day DRC if the past is not fully understood.