Born in Kinshasa in 1996,
Jonathan Vatunga Makuka lives and works in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo - DRC.
Jonathan draws inspiration from observing the daily struggle of displaced populations, women who are victims of violence, street children or child soldiers. The deciphering of their suffering, but also of their incredible strength, leads her to represent distress, gently intertwined with joy and hope.
The painter is distinguished by his particular technique. First, a precise work around the void, forms and volumes, with the application of repeated lines sometimes engraved, painted or glued. This dynamic approach reflects a world in constant transformation. Then he uses a wide variety of creative materials to emphasize the notion of diversity. Finally, the faces composed of superimposed lines, more spaced at the contours, represent the human who disintegrates, decomposes under the pressure of society.
Jonathan Vatunga wants above all to pay homage to these men, these women, these children and to send a message of hope, with the will to awaken consciences, all in delicacy and in poetry.
From now on, the works of Jonathan Vatunga Makuka join the prestigious Contemporary African Art Collection or CAAC (Collection d'Art Africain Contemporain) founded in 1990 by the Italian businessman, Jean Pigozzi after his meeting with the French curator, André Magnin, specialized in the art of non-Western cultures, and in particular sub-Saharan art. The collection includes several thousand works of art, including sculptures, drawings, photographs, installations and videos, by more than 80 contemporary artists working in countries of sub-Saharan Africa.