Interview with JP Mika | "Alpha Crucis – Contemporary African Art"

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Interview with JP Mika in conjunction with the exhibition "Alpha Crucis – Contemporary African Art".

JP Mika was born in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, in 1980, and still lives and works there. While studying at the art academy in Kinshasa he began associating with the established artists Chéri Chérin and Chéri Samba, two of the principal painters of the art movement Peintres populaires (known in English as Popular Painting). The members of this group are known for their figurative paintings, inspired by comic strips and advertising, often depicting political motifs or scenes of daily urban life in Kinshasa. JP Mika continues this tradition in his colourful self-portraits and images of Kinshasa’s La SAPE circles, a local subculture that is distinguished by its elegant, colourful clothing. The patterned backgrounds and dynamic portrayal of figures in Mika’s paintings are inspired by the work of Malian photographers Malick Sidibé and Seydou Keïta, who were renowned for their portraits of young, urban Africans in the 1960s. JP Mika himself has declared that he wants to create paintings that focus on the modern, vital Africa. At the same time, his works can be seen as reflections on the complex history of the DR Congo and its impact on contemporary Kinshasa.