Masela Nkolo: Safari | In Collaboration with Lauren Tate Baeza

Lauren Tate Baeza: As an artist, you not only reference visual expressions found among various groups of the Congo. You also draw inspiration from the aesthetic traditions of the Baoulé of Côte d'Ivoire and Edo people of Benin, Nigeria. What aspects of Baulé and Benin visual culture most appeal to you? And how do you apply these elements in your practice? 

 

Masela Nkolo: Baoulé, Edo Benin, and I’m going to include Kuba art as well, appeal to me because these three ethnic groups’ artworks focus on human figure depictions and are linked to their spirituality. Their attractiveness is within their style and aesthetic intelligence in metalwork, weaving, and embroidery. Renowned for their high degree of refinement, their artistic corpus is composed mainly of masks and statues. And with their great sense of stylization and detail, these sculptors created some of the most elegant pieces of African classical art.

 

Each of these groups have a specific element that makes them distinct that I incorporate into my works; for example, the Kuba use of fabric and symbols, Baoulé facial expressions, and Benin facial structure and form. And, though my works are created from metal, they are a combination of ideas from the Baoulé and Benin use of bronze and wood. Lastly, the three groups' artworks produce a particular energy that I connected to and wanted to portray.

Lauren Tate Baeza: You speak of syncretizing Western contemporary art with African design tradition. Artists in Africa have done this for generations, of course. In the late colonial and early post-colonial period, for example, Nigerian artist and philosopher Uche Okeke (1933-2016) and the Zaria Art Society deemed this approach natural synthesis, defining it as combining local visual languages and traditions with select foreign artistic sensibilities to produce an interplay of styles which reclaim indigenous aesthetic values without discarding Western influence.

 

What is implied in this approach? Why do you find this method of intentionally and simultaneously referencing Western art modalities and those indigenous to West and Central Africa to be most appropriate in locating your individual expression and artistic voice? 

 

Masela Nkolo: Firstly, I would like to say that I agree with the artist and philosopher Uche Okeke. Secondly, I think when creating contemporary artwork, we have to understand and accept others. Beauty is found in diversity, and we are in a time where beauty isn't based on skin color. Western and African art are no longer for themselves, but now belong to the world. So why do I have to ignore or refuse something because it's from another world or culture? Why can’t African and Western art inspire each other? These are questions I ask myself. My response to these questions is found in my utilization of everyday random Western items, such as screwdrivers, stovetop covers, and kitchen utensils transformed into artwork displaying traditional African influences. Also, being an artist of globalization and living between continents puts me in the position as an intermediary between two opposing realities. Human beings are not self-sufficient, we always complement each other, and cultural exchange is inevitable when one culture meets another.

Lauren Tate Baeza: Late President Mobutu Sese Seko’s Return to Authenticity initiative was crafted to dissolve Belgian colonial influence in Congo. Considering both the impact of architecture and cultural hybridity in your practice, what are your thoughts on the aspirations of post-colonial building design developed by Congolese architects (and their European collaborators, such as Italian architect Eugène Palumbo) in this period? Are indigeneity and modernity reconcilable? Is authenticity compatible with ideas such as natural synthesis?

 

Masela Nkolo: President Mobutu understood that in architecture, the most important structural element is its foundation. In a society that had lost its foundations due to colonialism, he understood we had to construct a foundation based on our own identity and to become our own inspiration. I would say that with President Mobutu’s Return to Authenticity initiative there was a vision to honor and develop our own voices by incorporating our traditional techniques and refreshing them to develop new ideas and techniques out of it. My new collection is inspired by my last trip to Congo in 2021. I discovered so much progress after five years away from my homeland, and I was very captivated by the new construction and architecture. But as much as I was in awe, I was saddened by the loss of our identity in the development of our current architecture. For me, I asked, are these buildings serving or destroying this culture and President Mobutu’s vision of authenticity?

 

And I believe authenticity is compatible with ideas such as natural synthesis. As a matter of fact, you can’t have natural synthesis without authenticity, for natural synthesis is formed from one’s own, or in our case, a culture’s own process of transformation and change. And I’ve quickly realized that it's our responsibility to conceptualize this transformation into our architecture. Not necessarily new, but progressive and responsive to the interests of Congolese society. Congolese architects must stop trying to copy what already exists in so-called developed countries. Rather, it is our responsibility to look to our own history and heritage to produce architecture that reflects our country, our climate, our ideas, and our history.