Painting performance of Sapin Makengele in the market of Moursal, N’Djamena

| October 27, 2017

Sapin Makengele is a popular artist from the Democratic Republic of Congo. In N’Djamena, he took part to the CTD conference as an artist in the exhibition “Vivre sous contrainte” (IFT, 23-29 October 2017), and as a co-creator in Catherina Wilson’s work Painting Knowledge, Writing Art, presented in the CTD conference. During his stay in Chad, he also made a couple of painting performances, taking his canvas, brushes and colours in public spaces of the city.

A painting performance consists of one or more painting sessions in a public place. People who pass by will be attracted by the canvas and the artist and end up forming a half circle around the painter. Through his brushstrokes, the artist, tells a story and he elicits reactions from the public. The exchange is not unilateral but multi-lateral, connections are made, thoughts go from right to left, and sometimes, there are some that materialize on the web. The canvas is transformed into a tool of communication and exchange, evoking comments or questions.

On the 26th of October, Sapin did a painting performance in the market of Moursal (N’Djamena). Immersed in the daily life of the market, he used his painting to involve passers-by in a reflection on the theme “la pensée africaine” (African thought).