Bodys Isek Kingelez (Congolese, 1948-2015). Belle Hollandaise (detail). 1991. Paper, paperboard, and other various materials, 21 5/8 × 31 11/16 × 22 1/16″ (55 × 80.5 × 56 cm). Collection Groninger Museum. Photograph by Marten de Leeuw.
In its first-ever solo show of a Black African artist, New York's Museum of Modern Art will put the work of visionary Congolese artist Bodys Isek Kingelez on full display. On view from May 26, 2018 through January 1, 2019, City Dreams will span the sculptor's three-decade career from his early single-building sculptures, to his spectacular sprawling cities and futuristic late works.
The self-trained artist, who passed in 2015, was known for his "extreme maquettes" in which he transformed paper, commercial packaging, and other everyday materials into dazzling, intricate sculptures. From fanciful models of civic buildings and public monuments, to colossal works depicting entire cities, Kingelez's work offers a meticulous vision for his ideal metropolis.
Bodys Isek Kingelez (Congolese, 1948-2015). Place de la Ville. 1993. Paper, paperboard, plastic, and other various materials, 15 3/4 × 33 7/16 × 29 1/2″ (40 × 85 × 75 cm). Courtesy The Museum of Everything
Born in what was then the Belgian Congo (now, Democratic Republic of Congo), Kingelez made sculptures that offered redemptive visions for his country. Growing up in his home city of Kinshasa, which grew exponentially with urban planning and infrastructure often unable to keep up, his vibrant and ambitious structures provided utopian alternatives to his own experience of urban life in his home city.
Kingelez's work explores urgent questions around urban growth, economic inequity, how communities and societies function, and the rehabilitative power of architecture—issues that remain pressing today. The long overdue programming and rarely shown works call for us all to imagine what a more perfect world would look like. As the visionary said, "without a model, you are nowhere."
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