Tickson MBUYI
Artist

Tickson received a creation grant in partnership with the Atelier des Artistes en Exil. 

What is your artistic background ?
I studied ceramics at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kinshasa (DRC). I am also co-founder of the performance collective Sakana Art and I participated in the KinAct performance festival. In 2018 I was selected to participate in the Biso Sculpture Biennial in Burkina Faso, and then in 2020 I won an artistic residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. I also participated in the exhibition Kinshasa Chronicles at the Cité de l'Architecture in Paris. Currently I am in residence at the Ecole Supérieure d'Art et de Design de Reims where I teach volume and I have an artistic residence at the Fileuse de Reims.

How do you view your profession today ?
For me making art is above all a vocation. Art allows me to express my emotions and my feelings, it is also therapeutic. In Kinshasa I sometimes put my art at the service of a social commitment, whereas in France I transmit contemporary African art to new audiences.

How do you see yourself in 5 years ? In 10 years ?
In 5 years, I still see myself working as an artist and I hope I will have an international career. I will remain curious, testing new techniques as I meet new people. I also hope to be able to realize many projects and always have new ideas. In 10 years, I hope to be famous enough to start a small artistic framework to help the new generation of emerging artists in Kinshasa. Of course, earning money is important to me because without material problems, it is easier to create and to dedicate oneself with passion to one's art.

Interview conducted in 2022
Photography credit: Julie Glassberg