Congo, Shadow of the Shadow
2005
Mixed-media installation
Courtesy of Skoto Gallery
Photo Courtesy of Skoto Gallery
When European powers divided the African continent into colonies in 1885, Congo became the personal property of Belgium's King Leopold. Congo's colonial legacy remains a central theme in Aimé Mpane's work. The shadow of a transparent figure, made completely of matchsticks, looms above the wooden silhouettes of those who have fallen due to this history. Shoes rest atop the wood: after rebels or gangs attack a community, sometimes all that remains is shoes. Mpane chose to work with matchsticks because of their flammable nature and the constructive, useful properties of wood. The heads of 4,652 matchsticks were copiously removed before Mpane carefully began to assemble this piece. He inflated a balloon to achieve the desired curves and used a blow dryer to control the flow of hot and cool air as he manipulated the glue. This work was first exhibited at the 2006 international arts biennial Dak'Art, where it received the coveted Fondation Jean-Paul Blachère prize.
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