Friday, July 21, 2006



Ndongo, the Mundombe styl’ Artist

I came into art by chance. I did not choose it, but it chooses me.
Designing my talent is the most valuable security I would have.”

Derix Raphael Ndongo has a vivid memory of where his talent comes from. His inspirational roots come from the watercolor paints given by his dad at the age of 3 years
The big moment came in 1996 when he started to design and paint images, banners, T-shirts, advertising boards and decoration
This self-taught artist decided to stop his Law university studies in 2000 to enroll the Fine Art College in order to test his artistic abilities. Successfully, he trusted his instinct and found himself marked as one of the new generation graphics and artists of Congo.

My artistic inspiration
After taking part in various art projects and exhibitions by the European Union, and supported by the French collector Eric Villepreux, Raphael realized three traveling expo with theme Mundombe( an African ). These expos express the value to the hard work and the daily life of the African woman.
My inspiration comes from the traditional human code of my family environment.

Derix sculptures or paintings are made of mixed media, fabric; paper, Hessian, raffia fibers, kauris-shells, cold glue, plaster and recycled materials. Real energetic artists enjoy experimenting new styles mixing modern and with traditional materials. His work is mostly realism and abstract
The simple but powerful creation comes to life by incorporating old cultural traditional elements, materials and objects to link the past, the present and the future
Raphael was invited by the Congolese ambassador in Pretoria for an exhibition. Since December 2003, he is experimenting new methods to reaffirm the originality of the African roots by using local and western materials. After his solo “Cultural Renaissance” at the Alliance Française of cape, follows “Racines” an exhibition that displays a wide spectrum of symbols and codes link to Congolese roots. It incorporates the use of modern style painting thru 3D drawings and real instruments of the traditions of the old society in modern style

Words
R A C I N E S…
Timeless African style
Useless of creating new African classics
Not abandoning traditional feelings
Ongoing madness of men and likeness
Not making you blind of deep down souls

They forgot to teach us this ideal
Essence and sense of life: to love…
The result of a pure and original source of inspiration
Do exactly what you want to do
Our single natural past
Our riches
Our roots
Yes..
OUR R A C I N E S…

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