Cheik Ndoluvualu, called Cheik Ledy (1962–1997), was a Congolese artist. He was born in Kinto M’Vuila,

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 ...

Life and career

Cheik Ledy was apprenticed to his elder brother, sign painter

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 ...

, after leaving school in 1977, and worked as Samba's assistant for 10 years in his

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 ...

studio. Like Samba, Ledy’s paintings comment on social and political issues of his day. His more controversial work included sign paintings on condom use and labour. He died of

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

-related complications in 1997 in Kinshasa.

Style and themes

Ledy's paintings often depict caricatures using bright colors. He worked in the style of sign painting and used French and

Lingala Lingala (Ngala) (Lingala: ''Lingála'') is a Bantu language spoken in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the northern half of the Republic of the Congo, in their capitals, Kinshasa and Brazzaville, and to a lesser degree in ...

texts. Notable works include "Non comprendre" (I Do Not Understand) (1995), "Arrosage" (Watering) (1995), "Absence de morale" (Moral Absence) (1990).

Exhibitions

* JAPANCONGO * Garage Center of Contemporary Culture, Moscow, Russia * Musée International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge * MAMCO- Musée d’art modern et contemporain, Geneva, Switzerland * Contemporary African Art Collection- 1990,

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 ...

Bibliography

*Jean-Pierre Ibio
"Ledy, Cheik"
Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 7 November 2014. Pigozzi, Jean.
The Contemporary African Art Collection

“African Art Now: Masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection”

6 November 2014.
"Ledy, Cheik (born 1962), painter"
Oxford Art Online.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ledy, Cheik 1962 births 1997 deaths Democratic Republic of the Congo artists Democratic Republic of the Congo painters