“Kontempo” is a term that emerged as a neologism in the Kinshasa independent art scene. As a counter-narrative to the Western-influenced academic discourse, “Kontempo” has established itself as a new code and a reinterpretation of the term “contemporary” in Kinshasa.
Within the project, local and international artists, specialists, researchers and theorists work together in a transdisciplinary experimental space to question common structures of postcolonial power and dominant trends in international contemporary art scenes.
The focus is on an exchange between local perspectives from Kinshasa on topics that are discussed internationally but have a direct influence on daily life and artistic currents. These topics include stereotypes in the perception of Africa and African cultures, postcolonial realities and their power dynamics and linguistic, intellectual, and epistemic hierarchies.
The contribution by fluctuating images (Cornelia Lund, HfK Bremen; Holger Lund, DHBW Ravensburg) & Peter Miyalu (Kinshasa) is dedicated to the film screening programm, developed in Kinshasa and shown in May 2022 in Acud, Berlin , see https://www.mediendesign-ravensburg.de/en/screening-and-concert-ep-release-at-laboratoire-kontempo-berlin/
Download the publication: here.
Information on the project:
https://labkontempo.com/
and
https://www.kulturstiftung-des-bundes.de/de/projekte/transformation_und_zukunft/detail/laboratoire_kontempo_kinzonzi.html
Thanks goes to AcudMachtNeu (Berlin) and LabKontempo (Kinshasa) as well as to DHBW Ravensburg for supporting the research of Dr. Cornelia Lund (HfK Bremen, fluctuating images e.V. Berlin) and Prof. Dr. Holger Lund (DHBW Ravensburg, fluctuating images e.V. Berlin) in Kinshasa.
