Congolese-Australian painter Pierre Mukeba (born in Bukavu c.1995) explores themes of violence and atrocity alongside family and personal strength in his depictions of people and narrative scenes from his childhood. Black figures in his work convey power and strength in the face of struggle. Culled from the news or inspired by Mukeba’s childhood memories of the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo and refugee camps in Zambia and Zimbabwe, the stories are revealed in works like Manhood (2019), which features figures adorned in African textiles, their patterned fabrics drawn with exquisite detail in pen and ink. He has said that his choice of colors reflects a symbolic scheme drawing on his ancestral roots; in Mukeba’s eyes, red represents war and power, blue is seen as a representation of devotion and goodwill, and yellow symbolizes optimism and prosperity. He also frequently incorporates red to convey the feelings and life his native country inspires. He won the Churchie National Emerging Art Prize in 2017 the Ramsay Art Prize People’s Choice Award in 2019. He has exhibited at the Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art and the NGV Triennial.
