With 13 paintings and three stained-glass windows, Moridja Kitenge Banza takes us on a journey through his search for identity and migration. His Christus Pantocrator-series (since 2017) reflects on effects of colonial history on the present, migration and art. Christ as Pantocrator (world ruler) is a common motif in European art since the 4th century. The Son of God is traditionally depicted frontally, holding the Bible in his left hand, his right raised in a gesture of blessing. Banza transfers this type into new spheres: In his work, Christ wears masks of various African peoples. His works are on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Et la Lumière fut (And There Was Light) until the end of November.
Moridja Kitenge Banza was born in 1980 in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In his mid-20s, Banza emigrated to Montreal, Canada, where he still lives and works today. With his photographs, films, paintings and performances, he blurs the boundaries between reality, fiction and history. In 2010, he won the First Prize at DAK'ART, the Biennial of Contemporary African Art, and in 2020 he was one of the winners of the Sobey Art Award.
