Camille-Pierre Pambu Bodo, known as Bodo (1953 – March 5, 2015), was a

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

from the

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

. Bodo currently preaches, lives, and works in

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...

. He was born in 1953 and raised in Mandu. He finished his secondary schooling in Mandu in 1970, and moved to

the same year in order to partake in the landmark exhibition Art Partout. In 1980, Bodo converted to Christianity and became the pastor of world

evangelism In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are i ...

within the Pentecostal Church and was convinced that it would change his life. Bodo Pambu is one of the founders and key proponents of the Zaïre school of popular painting. His works, along with those of other artists, vigorously exemplify their belief in their capacity to create art that could change history.

Influences and impact

Pierre-Camille Pambu Bodo finds inspiration from his several trips around both Europe and the United States of America. He is also inspired by the reality of both the city he resides in and the citizens within his community. Bodo stated, “I express everything that happens to me, so that I am no longer focused on specifically African topics and can address myself to the entire world.” The majority of his scenes encounter partially or fully human figures in a landscape. He incorporates flora and faune, and underwater life to display his perceptions the places he has experienced. He paints from sight or experience. Bodo's style of art takes after the work of

Hieronymous Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on oak ...

. Bodo's resemblance to Bosch's work can be seen specifically through his piece titled, "Le fleuve de délice" (The River of Delight) both in title and stylistic approach. In the 1990s his style of art changed to fantasy and incorporated symbolism in order to share his dreams of a better world. ''Le fleuve de délice'' (The River of Delight), ''Je suis unique dans mon genre'' (I Am One of a Kind), ''Ignorance'', ''or Love'', ''the Source of Life'', perfectly echo his beliefs. These paintings are significant in displaying the transformation of style that Bodo developed from the 1990s, and onward. They display the way Bodo alters human figures into creating a figure of

hybridity Hybridity, in its most basic sense, refers to mixture. The term originates from biology and was subsequently employed in linguistics and in racial theory in the nineteenth century. Young, Robert. ''Colonial Desire: Hybridity in Theory, Culture and R ...

between nature and humans.

Themes and styles

In the 1990s Bodo's style of art changed to be of fantasy and symbolic nature. Most of his work that is showcased was created following the 1990s. The majority of Bodo's work is considered to be somewhat

surreal Surreal may refer to: *Anything related to or characteristic of Surrealism, a movement in philosophy and art * "Surreal" (song), a 2000 song by Ayumi Hamasaki * ''Surreal'' (album), an album by Man Raze *Surreal humour, a common aspect of humor ...

. In the bulk of his artwork he is putting together pieces of the human figure, and combining it with a part of nature. Bodo creates creatures that are seen as half human and half animal that come from fantasy worlds. An example of such is a piece titled, Bodostar; It features a creature that is half man – half bird. The aims of a portion of his artwork were created in the purpose of discouraging sorcery as a practice; this theme is known as “ Ndoki Zoba”.

Career highlights

Bodo is one of the founders and key proponents along with

Moké Moké (or Moke, birth name Monsengwo Kejwamfi), was a Congolese painter, born in Ibe, Bandundu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1950. He died on September 26, 2001, in Kinshasa, a city from which he drew inspiration. Together with ...

and

Chéri Samba Chéri Samba or Samba wa Mbimba N’zingo Nuni Masi Ndo Mbasi (born 30 December 1956) is a Congolese painter from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is one of the best known contemporary African artists, with his works being included in the col ...

of what has come to be known as the Zaïre school of popular painting. Their works state vigorously and candidly their belief in their capacity to create art that could change the course of history.

Exhibitions

Bodo partook in the landmark exhibition Art Partout. His work has been displayed expansively in Europe. Bodo's work can be seen at

Tate Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery located in London. It houses the United Kingdom's national collection of international modern and contemporary art, and forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is ...

, the

Guggenheim Bilbao The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of modern and contemporary art designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, and located in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. The museum was inaugurated on 18 October 1997 by King Juan Carlos I of Spai ...

, and in the Contemporary African Art Collection (CAAC) of

Jean Pigozzi Jean "Johnny" Pigozzi (born 1952), heir to the CEO of the automobile brand Simca, is an art collector, photographer, fashion designer and . He lives in Geneva. Biography Pigozzi is a "French-born Italian". He was born in Paris in 1952 and is ...

Solo

*2000 Bodo, peintre congolais, Hôtel Sponeck, Montbéliard, France

Group

*2011 JapanCongo, Magasin Grenoble, France *2010 African Stories, Marrakech Art Fair, Marrakech *2007/2008 Why Africa?

Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli The Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli is an art gallery in Turin, Italy. It opened in 2002 on the top floor of the Lingotto complex (the headquarters of the Italian auto giant Fiat founded in 1899 by Giovanni Agnelli), where a "scrigno" or 450 ...

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, Italy *2007/2008 "Popular Painting" from Kinshasa, Tate Modern, London, UK *2006/2007 100% Africa, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain *2005 Arts of Africa, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco, France *2005 African Art Now: Masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection, Museum of Fine Art Houston, USA *2004 Les Afriques, Tri Postal, Lille, France *2003 Kin Moto na Bruxelles, Hôtel de Ville, Brussels, Belgium *2002 Galerie Marc Dengis, Brussels, Belgium *2001 La Cité dans la Peinture Populaire, Wallonie-Bruxelles Center, Belgium *1996 Bomoi Mobimba -Toute la Vie, Fine Art Palace, Charleroi, France

References

Bio from the National Museum of African ArtBodo Pandu artwork
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bodo 1953 births Living people Converts to Christianity Democratic Republic of the Congo Pentecostals Democratic Republic of the Congo painters Surrealist artists 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo people