BIO
Masela Nkolo is a Congolese-born artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans installation, sculpture, textiles, photography, video and performance. By reclaiming discarded materials such as oil lanterns, screwdrivers, and doors, Nkolo creates totemic figures that reflect his personal experiences, offering a syncretic reinterpretation of classical African art.
His work serves as a powerful advocate for peace, social justice, and healing. Through his creations, Nkolo fosters dialogue on themes of resilience, cultural memory, and the enduring human spirit. He invites audiences to engage with these themes, encouraging connections that transcend boundaries and promote understanding.
Nkolo holds a degree in Fine Arts with a concentration in large-scale sculpture from the Academy of Fine Arts. He emerged as a prominent voice within the Kinshasa-based art movement “Neo-Ngongism,” a collective initiative aimed at awakening public consciousness through street exhibitions and community-based artistic interventions.
His work has been exhibited at numerous prestigious institutions, including The Mint Museum (NC) johnson Lowe Gallery (GA), Agora Gallery (NY), Atlanta Contemporary (GA), Path Museum (GA), the African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
STATEMENT
Growing up during the Congo Civil War, the absence of electricity in my community meant relying on oil lanterns for light. As a child, I repaired these lanterns for neighbors to earn a living. What began as a necessity soon became the seed of my artistic journey. Over time, I began collecting discarded lanterns and other found objects, transforming them into sculptural creatures that reflect human experiences and personal memory. The objects that once sustained daily life became a powerful medium for storytelling and expression.
My creative process is deeply rooted in cultural memory, particularly the Kongo Yombe spiritual tradition of Bibaaku, the act of driving nails or metal into a Nkisi figure. These sacred objects serve as spiritual vessels to seal agreements, ward off harm, or heal. Each nail marks a moment of ritual activation. In my practice, I reinterpret this tradition through the use of screwdriver tools I once carried for protection during the rise of banditry ( kuluna) in the city . No longer weapons, they are now aesthetic and symbolic elements welded into my masks. Each embedded screwdriver marks a moment of transformation, a ritual of resilience, channeling energy away from violence and toward healing, protection, and empowerment.
These artworks forms offer a contemporary, syncretic reinterpretation of classical African art, grounded in the rich heritage of the Congo. Through the fusion of ancestral symbolism and repurposed materials, I seek to bridge past and present, tradition and innovation.
My seek to manifest these ancestral echoes, making the invisible visible calling on traditions that speak to community, spirit, and survival. I hope that my work can serve as a point of reflection and inspiration: a source of excitement for some, and an emotional escape for others.