The Olivier Waltman gallery makes a grand entrance at Also Known As Africa, one of the leading events for contemporary African art. This art space is distinguished by its commitment to celebrating the richness and diversity of contemporary voices, bringing together emerging talent and established artists from diverse backgrounds.
For this ninth edition of AKAA, the gallery is delighted to welcome a new artist to its prestigious harem, the talented Gastineau Massamba. Already in the spotlight at the 2022 Contemporary African Art Fair, where he represented Anne de Villepoix gallery, this Congolese artist returns to the art scene with renewed energy. This time, he joins forces with artists Ange Arthur Koua and Dayron Gonzales, forming a captivating trio that proudly embodies the artistic vision of Olivier Waltman Gallery.
“My painting doesn’t tell a story, it expresses the living, overcoming time in an openness to the world, to the unseen. My fingers travel over the support without sketching,” says the Congolese artist. Born in 1973 in the Republic of Congo, Gastineau Massamba honed his artistic skills at the École des Beaux-Arts de la Tsiémé in Brazzaville. Painter, sculptor and poet, he currently lives and works in Montreuil, where he explores the plurality and theatricality of the human body through his art.
Série Belleville
Acrylique et pastel sur toile de lin noire
100 x 70 cm
Adopting an artistic approach close to abstraction, his works communicate a non-verbal language, expressing themselves with total autonomy. Gastineau Massamba fascinates with his unusual and intriguing visual creations, as well as with his distinctive technique. He creates his works without prior sketching, painting with a natural instinct, without recourse to superfluous ornamentation. Using oil and acrylic paints, the Congolese artist skilfully shapes matter, movement and energy, breathing vibrant life into his canvases.
His creations go far beyond mere paintings; they represent a philosophical reflection that explores both material and immaterial notions, oscillating between the body, the flesh, the absurd and the human condition. Through poetic gestures, he invites the viewer on a silent, introspective journey.
Gastineau Massamba’s work has been exhibited in prestigious venues, including the Dak’Art Biennial in Senegal and the Casablanca International Biennial in Morocco. His creations have also found their way into museums such as the Kunsthalle in Krems, Austria, and the Palace of Chaillot in Paris. His work has also found its way into such eminent collections as the Blachère Foundation and the Benetton Foundation, both in France.
For this ninth edition of the AKAA, the Olivier Waltman gallery offers Gastineau Massamba a new visibility, reinforcing its commitment to the emergence and vitality of contemporary art.
