JACK KABANGU

Here the African/Danish artist explores the inaccuracy of memory and the opacity of dreams. Kabangu’s work is naturally investigative of psychological states, which is countered by his gutsy, gestural, freeform approach to artmaking. With his instantly recognizable style and a recurrent face/visage motif, Kabangu’s work is meant to speak to inexpressible desires and primordial human emotions.

For millennia, artists and thinkers have explored similar themes. Herodotus wrote about dreams; the ancient Greeks believed dreams foretold the future; and the history of art is populated with centuries of religious paintings (be they interpreted literally or metaphorically); to the Surrealists who preoccupied themselves with the subconscious. Kabangu is similarly keen to investigate this illusory world.

His richly applied surfaces suggest his desire to ‘go back in’ and re-evaluate psychological states that fall outside of language or representation. Through his deep hues and surprising colour schemes, as well as his technique, which adopts a rigorous and impasto approach, we can almost sense Kabangu’s desire to plunge back into a fantastical world to illuminate his waking practice. Presented by BEERS gallery.