My life journey has never been a quiet one. After a lifetime career as a lighting designer and director of photography where I worked with colours and shadows behind the scenes I found my self out of my safety net and in Africa. I’ve made a move to the Democratic Republic of Congo to run a new water unit project. No-one has described life in Africa as easy but reality was at times breathtaking and in ‘every-day’ moments challenging. From simple tools to books and guides everything had to be re-invented. It was as if I was transferred a century back in time and I knew how the future could look like.
The water unit itself gave permanent work to more than 50 people in the city of Lubumbashi, DRC. When the operation ended unexpectedly (for a variety of reasons) I realised that:
- – More than 300 people (employees and families) stay without an income
- – There were no available jobs neither national health or unemployment insurance
- – I didn’t know how to support and help
I have to accept that life for me at that point was not easy either. I had to find the next step, a way to bridge my past and who I’ve now become.
I started painting more as a therapy to express my state of mind and a first exhibition of acrylic portraits came to life. It was a wonderful start for me in London and a push to keep me going but I felt that something was missing. What I was doing was disconnected from who I’ve been for the last two years and the people I’ve spent the time with.
I experimented and looked for more meaning into what I do. I tried colours that express my influences, new materials and forms and ended up creating a new series inspired by my past and my present. The light, the colours and the shapes were finally connected into one expressive form of a true-shelf.
As I started feeling more confident about the art itself I started feeling more confident about the ways it could help others. I’m now investigating actions and partnerships in order to help my people back in DRC and in Africa in general. Please stay in touch and follow me to check my activities and projects for good.
Overall my time in Africa:
1. Influenced my expression. It’s colours, the vertical sunlight and the stiff landscapes are always hidden connotations of my work
2. Revealed a new perspective about art as it showed that it can be employed for good causes
3. Taught me the meaning of pure simple life through patience and true human relationships
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