Overview
Alexandre Kyungu Mwilambwe lives and works in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He appropriates found objects - rubber tire innertubes, doors, antiquated maps - and the vocabulary of traditional body modification (Nzoloko, or scarification, a pre-colonial tradition that continues in contemporary Congolese society) to explore identity, the legitimacy of political boundaries, and the possibility of mobility in a post-colonial world.
Combining Nzoloko marks with the language of cartography, Kyungu Mwilambwe's practice ranges freely between painting, drawing, sculpture and installation. The found materials he works upon - old doors, used vehicle tires, or obsolete maps - serve as both physical and conceptual substructures for his artworks. The objects themselves are metaphors for the ability to pass from one place to another, to transport the self or belongings, and to find your place in the world. He incises, abrades, and gouges into these historical objects in what he refers to as "cartographic essays," that aim to represent a new, more open, global world order.
Works
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Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweScar Areas I, 2021acrylic, wood, metal, wood dust and glue on incised board21 5/8 x 19 1/4 in
55 x 49 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweScar Areas II, 2021acrylic, wood, wood dust and glue on incised board14 3/8 x 19 1/4 in
36.5 x 48.9 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweScar Areas III, 2021acrylic, wood, metal, wood dust and glue on incised board25 3/4 x 19 1/8 in
65.4 x 48.6 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweNzoloko of Northern and Central Germany, 2020wood dust and glue on found paper11 x 13 in
28 x 33 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweUntitled, 2020wood dust and glue on found paper13 x 11 in
33 x 28 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweEbonga sit down, c’est notre espace I, 2017acrylic, wood dust and glue on incised wooden stool9 7/8 x 15 3/4 x 10 1/4 in
25 x 40 x 26 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweEbonga sit down, c’est notre espace II, 2017acrylic, wood dust and glue on incised wooden stool9 7/8 x 15 3/4 x 10 1/4 in
25 x 40 x 26 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweEbonga sit down, c’est notre espace V, 2017acrylic, wood dust and glue on incised wooden stool9 7/8 x 15 3/4 x 10 1/4 in
25 x 40 x 26 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweJ'habite la terre, 2017acrylic on incised found wooden door67 1/4 x 21 1/4 x 1 1/8 in
170.8 x 54 x 2.9 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweUntitled, 2017acrylic on incised found wooden door, metal handle67 1/4 x 21 1/4 x 2 1/2 in
170.8 x 54 x 6.3 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweUntitled, 2017acrylic, wood dust and glue on incised found wooden door53 1/8 x 15 3/4 x 2 1/4 in
134.9 x 40 x 5.7 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweLa frontière trouée (The Hole in the Border), 2023cut rubber (car tire inner tube), triptych81 1/8 x 105 1/8 x 7 7/8 in
206 x 267 x 20 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweNzoloko of Northwest Germany, 2020wood dust and glue on found paper13 x 11 in
33 x 28 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweThe Scar of the Earth V, 2022cut rubber (car tire inner tube)74 3/4 x 62 5/8 x 1 5/8 in
190 x 159 x 4 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweLook It In, 2016engraving, incision and acrylic on wood door (both sides pictured)
79 1/8 x 24 in
201 x 61 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweNzoloko Map, 2018acrylic, collage, wood dust and glue on incised wood12 x 12 in
30.5 x 30.5 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweThe Scar of the Earth II, 2022cut rubber (car tire inner tube)69 3/4 x 47 1/4 x 3/4 in
177 x 120 x 2 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweAutoportrait, 2016acrylic on incised found wooden door59 x 20 x 2 in
149.9 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweHomme Universel, 2016acrylic and collage on incised found doors70 3/4 x 31 1/2 x 1 1/2 in
179.7 x 80 x 3.8 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweEbonga sit down, c’est notre espace VII, 2017acrylic, wood dust and glue on incised wooden stool9 7/8 x 15 3/4 x 10 1/4 in
25 x 40 x 26 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweAccess Door, 2017acrylic on incised found wooden doors66 7/8 x 15 1/2 in
170 x 39.5 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambwePassword in the green areawood cutting, incision, engraving, acrylic, collage of wood and wood dust on wood plywood31 1/2 x 25 3/8 in
80 x 64.5 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweJ'habite la terre , 2017engraving, incision and acrylic on wood door66 7/8 x 20 7/8 in
170 x 53 cm -
Alexandre Kyungu MwilambweEbonga sit down, c’est notre espace VI, 2017acrylic, wood dust and glue on incised wooden stool9 7/8 x 15 3/4 x 10 1/4 in
25 x 40 x 26 cm
Exhibitions
