Young Africa new generation (Questions series)
4th September 2022
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Serge Diama (1988, also known as Serge Diakota Mabilama) has proved himself an experimentalist pur sang, venturing into various different disciplines and techniques, from installations and performances, painting, collage, drawing, engravings with razorblades to photography and prints. Questioning, searching and probing into the world around him, he seamlessly combines these different techniques into exact compositions. Original and outspoken, often political views with strong images, lines and forms, always with this Congolese streak of colorful flamboyance.
“With my works I create images of universal identities, breaking down the psychological borders and notion of hierarchy between communities. We need to evolve to more equitable societies and question what realities we create today, so we become better and happier people tomorrow.“
Serge Diama (1988, also known as Serge Diakota Mabilama), visual artist who lives and works in Kinshasa, graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Kinshasa and continued his professional formation through several workshops and residencies with some well-recognized photographers and KinArt Studio in Kinshasa (a.o. for the Young Congo Biennale and the Congo Biennale), as well as through various prestigious international residencies such as AKDT (Libramont/Belgium), Art Omi (NY Gent/US) and Montresso Foundation (Marakech/Moroco).
Diama has proved himself an experimentalist pur sang, venturing into various different disciplines and techniques, from installations and performances, painting, collage, drawing, engravings with razorblades to photography and prints. Questioning, searching and probing into the world around him, he seamlessly combines these different techniques into exact compositions. Original and outspoken views with strong images, lines and forms, always with this Congolese streak of colorful flamboyance.
Using daily life scenes and objects like plates, capsules, tables, beads, or more classic surfaces, he re-invents a new surrealistic reality, shaping it with photographs, engravings, collage, drawing and/or painting, creating images that force the viewer to rethink what reality he is actually seeing or should be seeing, questioning what world we are creating, teasing new meaning making.
In his latest works in the Unusual and Questions series, Diama cuts back to an almost miniature world populated by surrealist figures, full of symbolism, combining past and present. Mixed up identities questioning contemporary African societies, meticulously painted in oil, collage and pen on A4 and A3 coated paper. Quo vadis?
Diama has been participating in group and solo exhibitions around the world, notably in DR Congo, South-Africa, Tanzania, Morocco, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and US.
2022
Solo Exhibition “ UNUSUAL “, Madlozi Art gallery, Cape town, South Africa
2018
“METAMORPHOSIS”, Nafasi art space, Dar es salaam, Tanzania
2017
Performance and exhibition davday, European Uninon, Brussels, Belgium
2015
“D’une rive à l’autre”, French Institute of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, DR Congo
2022
DAF Frankfurt via OpenArtExchange, Frankfurt, Germany
“Africa Now II”, OpenArtExchange, Schiedam, Netherlands
“Salon Afrique “, District Six Museum via Madlozi Art gallery, Cape town, South Africa
2021
“11 : 11“, Eclectica contemporary, Cape town, South Africa
2020
“INDISCIPLINE“, Foundation Montresso , Marrakech, Marroco
2019
Exhibition at “CONGO BIENNAL“, Kinart studio, Kinshasa, RD Congo
2018
MEGAPOLIS #1, Grassi Museum, Leipzig, Germany
2017
Young Congo, KinArt Studio, Kinshasa, DR Congo
Cape town art fair via Calanar gallery, Cape town, South Africa
2014
Group exhibition, KAPOW artists’ collective and TOPO COPY, Gand, Belgium
« Master art 2 expo, KinArt Studio, Kinshasa, DR Congo
2013
Group exhibition, KAPOW artists’ collective , Oostende, Belgium
2010
Exhibition “50/60” Milobela Festival, Academy of Fine Arts Kinshasa/Egide grant, Strasbourg, France
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