Publisher's Synopsis
"I've delved into the history of the Kingdom of Kongo to investigate the heritage passed down from leader to leader (both former and current) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and to examine its impact on Congolese society. I'm interested in the porcelain objects and Toby Jugs used by Portuguese merchants in the 17th and 18th centuries in the Kingdom of Kongo. These objects were essentially used to enlist the willing cooperation of Kings and other notables, by persuading them that they were imbued with spiritual powers from the West, and that their possession would give them power over neighbouring Black Kingdoms and other sub-Saharan empires ... I've been creating a series of paintings depicting Black people in vulnerable poses, porcelain objects, Toby Jugs and ideograms. The figures appear with integrated circuits that are drawn in by hand. They refer to the violent exploitation of minerals such as cobalt, tantalum (coltan) and
