Space in between... from vanity series

Growing up in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Steve Bandoma rebelled against his formal art education at the School of Kinshasa where he became involved in the group Librisme Synergy, an avant-garde artistic collective. He travelled to South Africa in 2005 where he sought to immerse himself in artistic circles, and observed the work of Jeff Koons, who he cites as a major influence. There is a deep vein of disenchantment running through Bandoma's oeuvre that recalls the cynicism of certain Pop artists, as well as an exploration of 'kitsch'.
Working primarily in mixed-media paper collage, Bandoma has developed an aesthetic of explosion and implosion. Contemporary pop-cultural elements collide with traditional African mythology and sprituality. Chaos and suffering are central tenets to the work, and there is an urgency his bold creations. Bandoma's Space in between series is an exploration of the darker side of African folklore, life after death, and alternate realties populated with monsters. In Space in between, lot 172, we see a monstrous skull, its sprouting horns bearing human hands. The photographic collage elements give the work a sinister vitality. While in Space in between, lot 171, the skulls appear less monstrous, perhaps even playful: their eyes give them a humane quality.
Steve Bandoma participated in Beauty Congo - Congo Kitoko at the Foundation Cartier, Paris from July 2015 to January 2016; Evora Africa in Evora, Portugal, in 2018; and Kinshasa Megapolis, Leipzig, also in 2018.