KILLING TIME 2017
WHEN THIS IS OVER, MAY WE NEVER AGAIN TAKE FOR GRANTED THE ESSENCE OF TIME.
WHEN THIS ENDS, MAY WE FIND THAT WE HAVE BECOME MORE LIKE THE PEOPLE WE WANTED TO BE, WE WERE CALLED TO BE, WE HOPED TO BE AND MAY WE STAY THAT WAY- BETTER FOR EACH OTHER BECAUSE OF THE WORST.
@🔊 #ruedukongo
● First Mother (2026) ●
a collaboration with @jewel for her solo exhibition "Matriclysm: An Archaeology of Connections Lost" coinciding with the Venice Biennale 2026.
On view at the Salone Verde in Venice, Italy, from May 7 to November 22, 2026.
📸 Lindsey Appolis
🔥 PATRICK BONGOY! 🔥
Patrick Bongoy @patrickbongoy is a Congolese artist born in Kinshasa and a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts. He has lived in Cape Town since 2013 and creates sculptures from recycled rubber. His works address the themes of fire, pollution, and environmental degradation. Rubber, a material sensitive to extreme temperatures, burns, releasing harmful smoke similar to that produced by vulcanization, a process emblematic of a deadly industry.
The inspiration for his work comes from the history of DRC and the absurdity of destructive progress. He thus combines memories, political engagement, and advocacy for environmental justice. Patrick Bongoy has participated in numerous Group Exhibitions, including contemporary art fairs such as 1-54 Contemporary (London and Paris), AKAA (Paris), ARCO (Lisbon)... Furthermore, Bongoy has held Solo Shows at THIS IS NOT A WHITE CUBE art gallery (Lisbon and Angola), Gallery MOMO, Ebony/Curated, and the Association of Visual Arts (AVA) in Cape Town.
Image: Portrait of Patrick Bongoy by Hayden Phipps S Guild
Community Over Clout 2024
In the era of social media, an opportunity to create content and gain celebrity status is available to virtually anyone, anywhere. The ever-influential Black vernacular of hip-hop directed the meaning of the word 'clout' to define this kind of parasitic fame that could easily lit one from existential obscurity, poverty and misery to wealth and admiration through a large following (seemingly) overnight. Now that anyone can quickly gain visibilty and monetise their online presence, the question for all of us is not so much how to become influential in the world, but rather, what kind of influence one has, on whom and for what purpose.
#community #over #clout #ghost #memory
"THREAD"
Group Exhibition at Sarah Myerscough Gallery
UPPER & LOWER GALLERIES
THE SCHOOLHOUSE/LONDON
28 March - 16 May 2026
As a Gallery, we are at the forefront of recognising material and process-led art as a significant movement within the cultural landscape of the visual arts. 'Thread' explores the notion that weaving is both a thought or idea, as well as a process of making that speaks to the fundamental interconnectedness of human experience.
This group show is an international survey on contemporary woven work, highlighting how this ancient craft, using a variety of materials and a diverse range of innovative techniques, reflects creative community and exchange. This rich approach to weaving signifies our multicultural world through a timeless and poetic language, enabling complex material semantics that transcend modern forms of communication.
Featured Artists: Arko, Dana Barnes, Patrick Bongoy, Ann Coddington, Aude Franjou, Lin Fanglu, Teresa Hastings, Wanbing Huang, Tim Johnson, Taylor Kibby, Alida Kuzemczak-Sayer, Kate MccGwire, Adriana Meunié, Annette Mills, Joana Schneider, Diana Scherer, Wycliffe Stutchbury, Amy Usdin and Lucy Williams.
📸 @dillonmarsh
So happy to see our Southafrican artist and friend Patrick Bongoy ❤️from Capetown on such a Prestiges fair like TEFAF here represent by @sarah_myerscough
We’re proud to share that Patrick Bongoy will participate in the first-ever Pavilion of the Democratic Republic of Congo at the 61st Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art, while also contributing to the concurrent exhibition ‘Matricylism: An Archaeology of Connections Lost’ at Salone Verde.
For the exhibition, Bongoy collaborates with singer-songwriter Jewel on ‘First Mother’, a monumental sculpture of a kneeling pregnant figure whose skin is woven from hessian thread—an allegorical reference to humanity’s common matrilineal ancestry.
Working with reclaimed materials such as rubber inner tubes and textiles, Bongoy’s sculptural practice often speaks to resilience, labour, and transformation; ideas that resonate powerfully within this international platform.
Congratulations to Patrick on this significant moment!
@patrickbongoy@jewel@investeccapetownartfair
#Venice #VeniceBiennale #DRCPavillion #PatrickBongoy #SouthernGuild
Image captions:
1. Patrick Bongoy, ‘Elliptical’ (2026), Featured on our Main booth at the 2026 Investec Cape Town Art Fair. Courtesy Lea Crafford/Southern Guild
2. Patrick Bongoy, Artist Portrait (2022). Courtesy Hayden Phipps/Southern Guild
3-4. Patrick Bongoy, Process (2022). Courtesy Hayden Phipps/Southern Guild
I saw this beautiful creation by @patrickbongoy composed in rubber yesterday at the @investeccapetownartfair and the next morning, we’re chatting in his studio. Amazing.
