Cindy Teme Makiana

At the 61st Venice Biennale in Venice, the Democratic Republic of Congo presents Simba Moto! Seize the Fire!—a pavilion that positions transformation as both concept and lived experience, unfolding within the Antico Refettorio at the Scuola Grande di San Marco. Curated by Nadia Yala Kisukidi in collaboration with the MOKO collective, and commissioned by Cindy Makiana, the exhibition brings together a constellation of artists including Sammy Baloji, Gosette Lubondo, Patrick Bongoy, Aimé Mpané, Arlette Bashizi, Nelson Makengo, Léonard Pongo, Géraldine Tobé, and Damso. Across sculpture, film, photography, sound, and installation, the pavilion constructs a shared field of memory, material, and energy—where individual practices converge into a collective language of transformation, shaped by Congolese cosmologies and the symbolic force of fire. Visit Africans Column to read more - Link in bio