Carlos LUTANGU
Sculptor

Carlos received a grant to finance his work at the Atelier des Artistes en Exil. 

What is your artistic background ?
During my studies in Fine Art, I acquired the basic techniques of modelling, working with clay and wood. In 2014, I founded the collective Buanya Workshops with artist friends, the majority of whom are sculptors. It is within this collective that I created my first sculptures and that I exhibited in Kinshasa, at the Beaux-Arts, the Espace Polidor and the Espace Evolué. In Paris, I am training at the workshops of the Carrousel du Louvre. I am developing new techniques, deepening my knowledge of welding, and I am interested in working in marble. I exhibited in Paris for the first time in the windows of the Valois galleries of the Palais-Royal. I wish to follow a new training course in ironwork. I am inspired by ancestral and traditional African culture. Since my arrival in France in 2017, I have been open to contemporary arts, inspired by nature and everyday objects. I wish to create a head made from cigarette butts...

How do you view your profession ?
Through numerous meetings and exchanges with professional artists, I realise how difficult it is in France today to become a professional in the arts. But as art is a passion for me, I will continue to fight. I wish to broaden my professional network, I wish to train and work even harder to succeed in becoming a professional artist, and to make my art known to other artists, to the French cultural ‘milieu’. Art is not a business. It is not a job you do for a living. It's a real passion. For my part, I wish to become an artist recognised for my work. 

How do you see yourself in 5 years ? In 10 years ?
I plan to have my own studio and to exhibit in different galleries. I would like to participate in more exhibitions in France and Europe, I would like to widen my opportunities and have more contacts with galleries. My dream would be to become a great artist. The only secret to success is work. 

This interview was conducted in 2017
Photo credit: Antonin Amy-Menichetti