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Chéri Samba displays his intriguing artworks at the Maillol Museum

undefined undefined 11 décembre 2023 undefined 10h00

undefined undefined 16 janvier 2024 undefined 10h38

The Editor

J'aime la couleur, 2003 © Chéri Samba / Photo : Maurice Aeschimann Courtesy The Jean Pigozzi African Art Collection

Communication

Until April 7, 2024, the Maillol Museum invites you to discover the mysterious, fascinating, and colorful work of Chéri Samba, a star of contemporary art and an essential figure in Congolese popular painting.

What strikes us above all when we take our first steps into the exhibition is the color. First, the carpet, super pop and flashy, but above all, the one that spreads in all its forms on the walls. Enough to put us in a good mood to dive into Chéri Samba's quirky work. And the good news is that every Wednesday, the museum offers a fixed price of €12.50, including during the evening openings until 10pm! So no excuse, let's go down there to immerse ourselves in the work of this unique artist. [Image: Chéri Samba, Quel avenir pour notre art?, 1997 (Triptyque 2) © Chéri Samba / Photo: Maurice Aeschimann Courtesy The Jean Pigozzi African Art Collection] Between entertainment and education As the rooms unfold, canvases that are at once provocative, funny, engaging, and thought-provoking are revealed.Joyfull translation: Geese and touching. From the condition of the black artist to the role of women, through Mobutu's dictatorship and pollution, the one who defines himself as a "painter-journalist" uses his brush to convey universal messages.

And one thing is for sure, it doesn't leave us indifferent. It's impossible not to react to the unexpected constructions and setups. A merman with ears flying around him, a child soldier in a field of flowers, an adult breastfeeding from his wife... All means are good to denounce or tell stories, sometimes in a slightly obscure way, it must be said.


Self-portrait as an image of the world

In the different rooms, Chéri Samba is everywhere. His paintings of himself follow one another throughout the thematic journey. His face and name are displayed, distorted, and drowned in color. A delicately self-centered universe, developed by the painter both to make us reflect and to cultivate his own notoriety and success.

But this disguised narcissism is above all a means of speaking to us more broadly about the complex history of a country with unlimited cultural wealth: the Democratic Republic of Congo. More generally, it is the whole world, with all its power and contradictions, that has been scrutinized by the artist.

An exhibition that is a bit disconcerting at first glance, which unsettles us and sometimes leaves us a bit aside. However, the almost dreamlike aspect of the works ends up seducing us and invites us to review our vision of the world and its culture.

Now it's your turn to try to decrypt the deep texts and messages hidden within Chéri Samba's works!


Chéri Samba, Quelle solution pour les hommes, les femmes étant beaucoup plus nombreuses sur la terre? 2001 © Chéri Samba / Photo 

Maurice Aeschimann Courtesy The Jean Pigozzi African Art Collection

Chéri Samba. In the Jean Pigozzi collection
Musée Maillol
61, rue de Grenelle – 7th
Until April 7, 2024
Open until 10pm every Wednesday
More info and tickets