About —
Dedicated to Christ Pantocrator, the Byzantine representation of the Messiah in all of his glory, this new chapel by Moridja Kitenge Banza activates the complex codes of the Christian Church as mechanisms of public persuasion. This very personal work is a tool to help explain and reveal the power of colonization and the mission of religious conversion throughout the world, from the past to the present. More specifically, it reflects the reality of Kitenge Banza’s native Congo, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Colours, architectural elements, iconography, and a system of copying are a just some of the strategies the artist uses to illustrate his universe. Together, they allow us to reflect on his hybrid identity, on the intertwining of local and global histories, and on the strategies that are likely to increase religious conviction among individuals.
This exhibition, which continues on the second floor, was mainly inspired by the Medieval Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy, along with works from the Musée d’art de Joliette’s sacred art collection. This is first time Kitenge Banza incorporates artworks from a museum collection into one of his in situ installations. As the originating impulse behind this work, they lend themselves well to the idea and become part of his creative process. Selected for their relationship with iconographic representations of Christ and the personal universe they evoke, these pieces are now consumed into the artist’s vast rewriting of History. But this building process, with its wide-ranging temporal and conceptual frameworks, is far from complete.
Catholicism is still practiced by nearly half of the Congolese population and deeply rooted in its culture. Conversely, it also symbolizes the replacement and marginalization of local traditions. European expansion throughout the world was the stuff of dreams; settlers believed they would find their Eden, an Earthly paradise inhabited by humans living in communion with God. What these colonizers never imagined was the impact this vast operation would have on so-called “uncivilized” populations. Treated as outsiders in this boundless territorial enterprise with priceless resources to be gained, colonized peoples became exiled in their own land. Today, many have opted to go into exile, forced to live far away from their home countries, where Eden continues to feed other people’s fantasies.
Booklet
Biography —
Congolese-born Canadian artist Moridja Kitenge Banza received the first prize at the Dak’Art Biennial of Contemporary African Art in 2010, and the Sobey Art Award in 2020. His work has been presented across Europe (France, Denmark, Germany), in Africa (Morocco, Senegal), and in Canada. More recently, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, and the PHI Foundation have presented solo exhibitions of his work. His art is included in museum collections (MMFA, MACM, MNBAQ, NGC, AGO), as well as private and corporate collections (BMO, Caisse de dépôt et placement Québec, Canadian Shield Capital, Hydro-Québec, Mouvement Desjardins, RBC, and TD Bank Corporate Art Collection).
Images in the banner:
Moridja Kitenge Banza, Exiled in Eden. Views from the exhibition at the Musée d’art de Joliette, 2024. Photo: Romain Guilbault