Geometric acrobatics characterize our lines of thought. In order to get the end of a process of thought or emotion, one could resort to revolution, translation, dilation, parabolas, hyperbolas, ellipse, straight lines, parallels, points, sequences, static, dynamics, recurrence accumulation, and traces. – Jean Katambayi Mukendi
Mukendi says his Afrolampe series exist to bring attention to the African continent’s “trouble controlling its economy and vital energies.” His work is a product of Mukendi’s past in engineering and mathematics, philosophical ideologies, and artistry. Referencing electricity blackouts in Lubumbashi, the mining capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, COVID 22 Afrolampe Perpétuation Avril 2020 23H uses individual ballpoint pen lines to construct the schematic of a lightbulb and filaments, representing Africa’s resources the world uses for electrical purposes. Mukendi lives and works in Lubumbashi. He is a self-taught artist and scientist who has been the subject of international exhibitions including Busan Biennale; Ramiken, New York; and Trampoline Gallery.