The exhibition provoked reflection about the legacy of colonialism in Kitenge Banza\u2019s native Democratic Republic of Congo, where Catholicism is still practised by half of the population and also signifies the erasure of local traditions. In collaboration with the exhibition curator, Julie Alary Lavall\u00e9e, Kitenge Banza strategically positioned religious artefacts from the Mus\u00e9e d\u2019art de Joliette\u2019s Wilfrid Corbeil collection to question the paradoxical relationship between Catholic religious conversion and devastating colonialism in the Congo. Under King Leopold II, Belgian colonial expansion was propelled by the widespread harvesting of ivory and rubber, accompanied by the fierce mistreatment of the colonized population. Women were routinely taken hostage to force men to collect rubber. Amputation of a hand was a frequent punishment for those who failed to meet their quota. In the exhibition, Kitenge Banza employed conceptual strategies with versatile materials and techniques, such as video and printing on plexiglass and vinyl, to create immersive environments that highlighted the violence of Belgian colonialism and challenged Christian iconography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Moridja](\"https:\/\/esse.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/114_CR_Giovanetti_Moridja-Kitenge-Banza_ExiledanslEden_03.jpg\")
Exiled in Eden<\/em>, exhibition view, 2024.
Photo: Paul Litherland, courtesy of the artist & Mus\u00e9e d\u2019art de Joliette<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Kitenge Banza\u2019s exhibition, inspired by Giotto\u2019s Scrovegni Chapel, aimed to challenge the hypocrisy of Christian missionization in Congo. As visitors entered the exhibition hall of the MAJ, they encountered Jacopo da Valenza\u2019s Madonna and Child with Adorer<\/em> (between 1485 and 1509), which established a sacred atmosphere that set the stage for the critical engagement to follow. The painting depicts a young Virgin Mary, adorned in a regal black-and-gold mantle over a crimson dress, cradling the infant Jesus dressed in black-and-gold braccae. Valenza\u2019s artwork is set against a blue background with a pattern of golden fleurs-de-lys, creating unity with the golden garments of the figures; the gold colour hints at the kingdom of God but also at secular power framed as luxury. This initial encounter set a contemplative tone, inviting viewers to consider the ambiguous relationship between Christian iconology and colonialism and spreading the faith and indoctrinating Congolese people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the heart of the exhibition, Kitenge Banza reinterpreted Giotto\u2019s Virtues and Vices<\/em> (1306) to explore the complex power dynamics between colonizer and colonized. Inkjet prints on vinyl juxtaposing Belgian colonial administrators with Congolese subjects functioned as icons of postcolonial trauma, evoking violent confrontations. This narrative culminated with the inclusion of an image of Tippo Tip, a prominent Afro-Arab merchant who played a significant role in the ivory and slave trades. Tippo Tip\u2019s involvement in the 1877 expedition of Henry Morton Stanley, a Welsh-American explorer associated with the brutal exploitation of the Congo, exemplifies the intricate and often contradictory relationships within the colonial system. This aspect of the exhibition offered a powerful reminder of Memmi\u2019s observation that the colonized often strive to emulate their colonizers, a desire that can be both empowering and disempowering.2<\/sup><\/a><\/span> 2 <\/a> - Memmi, The Colonizer and the Colonized.<\/em><\/span> Further along, an image of a woman with mutilated hands recalled the rubber industry in nineteenth-century Congo. The juxtaposition of Valenza\u2019s artwork with the set of prints sardonically pointed to the uncomfortable truth of the Catholic Church turning a blind eye to the forced labour and torture condoned by Leopold II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yoka<\/em> (2024) presented a powerful reimagining of stained-glass windows in Gothic churches. Kitenge Banza printed on plexiglass to evoke the luminous quality of Gothic church windows, but instead of depicting religious narratives, he introduced a haunting figure: a Congolese plant-person. This hybrid creature, with a head of dark rubber bush and a leaf replacing a hand, bears witness to the horrors of colonial exploitation in the Congo. Leopold II assigned large parts of the Congo Free State (CFS) to private companies, in which they enforced extraction quotas with violence. Kitenge Banza appropriates the traditional red of Christian iconography to symbolize the blood of martyred rubber workers in the CFS, transforming the sacred into a potent symbol of suffering. Bathed in the cold, artificial light of the plexiglass, the figure transcends the historical, bringing the trauma of colonialism powerfully into the present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yoka<\/em> entered into a poignant dialogue with Juan Rexach\u2019s Christ of the Sorrows<\/em> (c. 1450), positioned strategically nearby. With its depiction of hermit saints cautioning against worldly desires, Rexach\u2019s painting seemed to offer a religious counterpoint to the colonial exploitation depicted in Kitenge Banza\u2019s work. The opulent imagery of Christ, adorned with a royal purple mantle and a gold-leaf background, reflects the ambitions of the Belgian colonial project. However, Yoka<\/em>, with its poignant portrayal of the suffering inflicted upon the Congolese people, challenged this idealized vision of Christian authority, forcing viewers to confront the hypocrisy of a faith that often served to justify colonial oppression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kitenge Banza and Lavall\u00e9e\u2019s incorporation of an empty frame, made in the sixteenth or seventeenth century, from the MAJ\u2019s collection introduced a striking layer of meaning. This frame, originally intended to house an ivory crucifix, became a poignant symbol of the cultural displacement experienced by the Congolese people. Like religion, art can be a powerful tool, but it can also be weaponized. In this instance, the frame, a relic of European artistic and religious traditions, highlighted how colonial powers plundered not just resources but also the cultural heritage of colonized nations. By repurposing this historical object, Kitenge Banza forced viewers to confront the enduring legacy of cultural theft and the enduring sense of exile in Eden that continues to haunt the Congolese people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exiled in Eden<\/em> is not just a lament about the devastating impact of colonialism. It is also a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Through his powerful works, Kitenge Banza gives voice to the silenced, reclaims history, and offers a glimmer of hope for a future when the wounds of the past can begin to heal. The exhibition served as a powerful reminder that the legacy of colonialism continues to shape our world today, and that it is crucial to confront these difficult truths in order to build a more just and equitable future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mus\u00e9e d\u2019art de Joliette<\/strong>![\"Moridja](\"https:\/\/esse.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/114_CR_Giovanetti_Moridja-Kitenge-Banza_ExiledanslEden_27-scaled.jpg\")
Exiled in Eden<\/em>, exhibition view, 2024.
Photo: Paul Litherland, courtesy of the artist & Mus\u00e9e d\u2019art de Joliette<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Moridja](\"https:\/\/esse.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/114_CR_Giovanetti_Moridja-Kitenge-Banza_ChristPantocratorN47.jpg\")
Exiled in Eden<\/em>, exhibition view, 2024.
Photo: Paul Litherland, courtesy of the artist & Mus\u00e9e d\u2019art de Joliette<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
October 5, 2024\u200a\u2013\u200aJanuary 12, 2025<\/br>","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":268702,"template":"","categories":[884],"numeros":[7491],"disciplines":[],"statuts":[],"checklist":[],"auteurs":[7420],"artistes":[1719],"thematiques":[],"type_compte-rendu":[],"class_list":["post-268706","compte-rendu","type-compte-rendu","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","numeros-114-abstractions-en","auteurs-marco-antonio-giovanetti-en","artistes-moridja-kitenge-banza-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.esse.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/compte-rendu\/268706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.esse.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/compte-rendu"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.esse.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/compte-rendu"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.esse.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.esse.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.esse.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.esse.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268706"},{"taxonomy":"numeros","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.esse.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/numeros?post=268706"},{"taxonomy":"disciplines","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.esse.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/disciplines?post=268706"},{"taxonomy":"statuts","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.esse.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/statuts?post=268706"},{"taxonomy":"checklist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.esse.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/checklist?post=268706"},{"taxonomy":"auteurs","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.esse.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/auteurs?post=268706"},{"taxonomy":"artistes","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.esse.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artistes?post=268706"},{"taxonomy":"thematiques","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.esse.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/thematiques?post=268706"},{"taxonomy":"type_compte-rendu","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.esse.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type_compte-rendu?post=268706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}