Moridja Kitenge Banza: Topographies
Nov 18, 2023 – April 21, 2024
About the Exhibition
Using gestural brushwork, bold colour, and the contours observed in the palm of his own hand, the lush paintings of Montreal-based artist Moridja Kitenge Banza reveal the impacts of resource extraction in his home country of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in his current home in Canada. His large format abstract paintings prompt us to consider the treatment of workers who labour in mines in the Congo, unearthing diamonds, gold, cobalt, and other materials that are swiftly exported for consumption in markets around the world. Banza’s imagined topographies suggest river systems and agricultural zones tainted by the waste of the mining industry, as well as the mass burial sites that can be detected on Google Earth and other surveillance platforms.
Moridja Kitenge Banza: Topographies is presented at the McMichael as a contemporary response to Cobalt: A Mining Town and the Canadian Imagination. While earlier generations of Canadian artists have depicted the mining industry as picturesque and even sublime, Banza asks us to consider the environmental and social impact resource extraction has on communities around the world.
Moridja Kitenge Banza (b. 1980), Chiromancie #14 n°1, 2023, acrylic on canvas, 152.4 x 106.7 cm, private collection. Photo courtesy of the artist and Galerie Hugues Charbonneau, Montreal © Moridja Kitenge Banza
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Sandra Meigs (b. 1953), Maples. Spring Creek Trail, 2022, gouache on paper, 28.6 x 38.1 cm, Courtesy of Susan Hobbs Gallery. © Sandra Meigs
Sandra Meigs (b. 1953), Fallen Eastern White Cedar. Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. Ontario. Melting Sun, 2021, gouache on paper, 29.2 x 38.1 cm, Courtesy of Susan Hobbs Gallery. © Sandra Meigs
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Artworks from the Exhibition
Moridja Kitenge Banza (b. 1980),De 1848 à nos jours, 2006–18, installation, 800 teaspoons, 157.5 x 363 cm (dimensions variable), RBC Art Collection. Photo courtesy of the artist and Galerie Hugues Charbonneau, Montreal © Moridja Kitenge Banza
Moridja Kitenge Banza (b. 1980), Chiromancie #12 - Goma n°4, 2021, acrylic and sand on canvas, 122 x 122 cm, private collection. Photo courtesy of the artist and Galerie Hugues Charbonneau, Montreal © Moridja Kitenge Banza
Moridja Kitenge Banza (b. 1980), Chiromancie #14 n°7, 2023, acrylic on canvas, 152.4 x 106.7 cm, private collection. Photo courtesy of the artist and Galerie Hugues Charbonneau, Montreal © Moridja Kitenge Banza
Moridja Kitenge Banza (b. 1980), Chiromancie #14 n°7, 2023, acrylic on canvas, 152.4 x 106.7 cm, private collection. Photo courtesy of the artist and Galerie Hugues Charbonneau, Montreal © Moridja Kitenge Banza
Artist’s Talk with Moridja Kitenge Banza
Topographies
November 18, 2023
