Moke (1950 - 2001)

Monsengwo Kejwamfi, called Moke was born in 1950 in Ibe, Bandundu Province, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) and died in 2001 in Kinshasa, Congo.

Moke arrived in Kinshasa in 1960, the year Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) gained its independence from Belgium. As a 10-year-old orphan, he supported himself by painting landscapes on discarded pieces of cardboard. He eventually set up a studio in Kinshasa and immersed himself in the daily life of the city from which he drew his inspiration. In 1965 the popularity of his portrait of General Mobutu waving to the crowds as he led an Independence Day parade, launched his career.

In the mid 1970s the ‘School of Popular Painting’ was founded in Kinshasa by Chéri Samba (b. 1956) who was joined by Moke, Chéri Chérin (b. 1955), 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.

Largely self-taught artist Moke approaches painting as a universal medium with the utopian potential to effect change. His sympathetic, humorous paintings are grounded in his observation of Kinshasa: street scenes, bars, the local dandies known as sapeurs, the powerful Miziki (association of financially independent women), all-night parties, neighbourhood disputes and public ceremonies.

Moke also explores the experience of being an artist in several works including Untitled, 2001, whose tongue in cheek painting depicts himself as a financially successful artist or dealer in the centre foreground.

Moke 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.

"Eroticism in Contemporary African Art", Gallery ZAK, Fürth, Bavaria, 25.09. – 18.11.1998



"Time Travel - New Art from Africa", „Siemens informiert“, Erlangen, 19.09. - 16.10.1997