Chéri Chérin

Joseph Kinkonda, called Chéri Chérin was born in 1955 in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo).

In the mid 1970s the ‘School of Popular Painting’ was founded in Kinshasa by Chéri Samba (b. 1956) who was joined by Chéri Chérin, Moke (1950-2001) and Bodo (b. 1953). Chéri Samba’s younger brother, Cheik Ledy (1962-1997), later became associated with the group. These five artists, three of whom continue to live and work in Kinshasa, are widely regarded as being among the leading contemporary African painters within sub-Saharan Africa.

Chéri Chérin approaches painting as a universal medium with the utopian potential to effect change. He denounces a world in which opportunism and comedy threaten to win out over the true values for which he means to fight.

Chéri Chérin has participated in major group exhibitions, including Africa Remix (2004-2006), an exhibition of contemporary African art in Düsseldorf, London, Paris and Tokyo.

Chéri Chérin is represented in the Contemporary African Art Collection (CAAC), Geneva, which was founded in 1989 by Jean Pigozzi and curated from the outset by André Magnin. It is the largest private collection of its kind and has helped many African artists to show their work in major institutions around the world.

Chéri Chérin lives and works in Kinshasa, Congo.