Dak'Art: Moridja Kitenge Banza Wins Président Léopold S. Senghor Award

Senegal Sat 15-05-2010

Dak'Art: Moridja Kitenge Banza Wins Président Léopold S. Senghor Award
Maggie Otieno/AfricanColours.com

Moridja Kitenge Banza is the first prize winner of Président Léopold S. Senghor award at The Dakart Biennale 2010. Born in DR Congo, the thirty year old artist was surprised and equally excited on receiving his award.

Being his very first encounter in an art festival, Kitenge was elated at this selection. “This is my first encounter in a forum of this nature and winning an award here is really an honour for me” said Kitenge.

Kitenge studied art in Kinsasha, Congo for 3 years after which he continued his art education in France for another 5 years. He completed his studies in 2008 and currently lives and works in France.

Kitenge has been actively practicing art for the past ten years. He has taught art at the Baraton University in Lubumbashi in Katanga Province.

Now a full time artist, his main mediums are photography, video and Installation art. His work at the Dakart Biennale is a mixture of all these mediums.

His award winning work titled ‘Hymne a Nous’ is a song by Beethoven. “I have taken the lyrics of the Congo and the Belgium anthem and incorporated it in the hymn.” The figures singing the hymn is the artist himself in multiplied form, which makes the work, seem like a 20 man choir.

The singer is nude and sings his heart out in this video. This explains his 5 year study of classical music.

I ask him the meaning of this art piece of which he says, “I tend to make myself the subject of my own art, I know exactly how I want it to come out so I become the piece. The piece is a self expression of my desire to have a liberated society that is not embarrassed about its history.”

The artist’s work is based on social themes, using himself as his own subject; he believes that his life is art in itself.

In DR Congo his works are well known and bought by collectors. His only hope is that many more Congolese will come to terms with his subjects and appreciate what he does best.

The price award received consists among other things of a 2 months residency in Dakar which Kitenge hopes to do in November and December 2010 as well as a month long residency in France supported by France Friends Foundation.

^{Union des Etats de 1848 a nos Jour’}

The artist’s works at the show also include ‘Union des Etats de 1848 a nos Jour’ which consists of neatly arranged spoons on the walls of the exhibition hall at the National Museum of Senegal.

Related articles on Dak'art:

Dak'Art: Art Is Not A Luxury

Dak'Art: Soly Cisse & Barthelemy Toguo @ Festival

Dak’Art: God Created Birds & Trees But Man Built Cages’

Dak'Art: The Art In Pictures

One On One With Ousseynou Wade, Secretary General Of The Dak’Art Biennale

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