“Au-delà de la matière”: Freddy Tsimba transforms the horrors of war and pain into a symbol of hope and resilience

Until 30 November, Angalia gallery will be showcasing the captivating work of Freddy Tsimba in a new solo exhibition entitled “Au-delà de la matière”(‘Beyond Matter’). Parisian audiences are invited to immerse themselves in the sculptural art of this Congolese artist, whose artistic approach resonates like a powerful call for peace and hope.

In 2018, the Chaillot National Theatre also celebrated the Congolese artist’s commitment by installing his monumental sculpture Porteuse de vies to mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Measuring four metres high and made entirely from shell casings recovered from conflict zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo, this impressive work depicts a woman carrying an open book of keys. This luminous choice makes Freddy Tsimba the first artist to add a permanent work to this emblematic site since 1937. Through Porteuse de vies, the Cameroonian artist embodies hope and resilience, forcefully asserting that ‘life is priceless’ and offering keys to help humanity triumph over adversity.

Earlier this year, France once again honoured Freddy Tsimba’s exceptional career by naming him a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, a distinction that underlines the depth of his artistic approach and his humanist values. His emblematic works, notably ‘Porteuse de vies’, depict busts of women fashioned from welded shell casings, paying tribute to the victims of conflict, particularly in eastern Congo. The woman, the backbone of his work, becomes a symbol of life and hope, celebrated for her beauty and resilience in the face of the world’s challenges.

Freddy Tsimba was deeply affected by a famine scene in Somalia, an event that prompted him to explore the theme of hunger in his art. Using salvaged objects such as spoons and machetes, he shapes bodies while incorporating materials that symbolise death, oppression and addiction. However, his work does not descend into despair; it often deploys double-meaning symbolism, such as keys, which evoke both confinement and liberating openness.

Her last solo exhibition in Europe, ‘Mabele eleki lola’ (The earth, more beautiful than paradise), was held in 2020 at the Africa Museum in Tervuren, Belgium. This exhibition marked the museum’s first temporary presentation following its reopening in 2018, following a renovation aimed at distancing itself from its colonial past. Through a striking mise-en-scène, the artist’s works denounced violence and domination, evoking the atrocities of colonisation while launching ‘a cry for peace, for life’.

At the same time, the ‘Beyond Matter’ exhibition at the Angalia gallery highlighted the wealth of Freddy Tsimba’s work over the past 15 years. The emblematic work, a human-sized Christ on the Cross made from shell casings, is both powerful and provocative. She reinterprets the figure of sacrifice to evoke the suffering of the victims of armed conflict, bringing home the contemporary horror of crucifixion through the use of these materials charged with meaning.

His work Immaculate denounces the infernal cycle of violence while calling for resilience and the hope of peace. In this piece, the figure of Christ not only represents the spiritual saviour, but also embodies the anonymous martyrs of modern conflicts, in particular the violence suffered by women at the hands of armed militias in eastern Congo. In his exhibition at Tervuren, he asserts that the earth can be ‘more beautiful than paradise’, while celebrating life through his installation Children paradise, made up of key sculptures evoking childhood, play and hope.

This representation of Christ on the cross embodies the very essence of her work, and resonates with other sculptures on show. These include two busts of pregnant women, made from shell casings and chains, from the Silhouettes effacées series. Another striking series, Les rescapés, consists of heads fashioned from melted shell casings, paying homage to ‘broken faces’ and the victims of violence.

Freddy Tsimba uses objects that symbolise death to bring out not only life, but also grace. His work Mama machettes, made entirely from welded machetes, is distinguished by its delicate curves and lightness. Although the machete is a basic tool for farmers, it is sadly associated with the Rwandan genocide. In Mama machettes, the contemporary artist transforms this symbol of violence into a nurturing mother figure, affirming the supremacy of life.

The ‘Beyond Matter’ exhibition also includes other emblematic works, such as Centre fermé, rêve ouvert, which express humiliation and are inspired by Freddy Tsimba’s personal experience in a detention centre in Belgium, where he was held because of an administrative mix-up. The work resonates deeply with the violence suffered by women, particularly in eastern Congo. Through his exhibition in Tervuren, Freddy Tsimba continues to defend the idea that, despite hardship, there is potential for beauty and hope, as illustrated by his installation Children paradise, which celebrates childhood, play and hope.

Freddy Tsimba’s ‘Beyond Matter’ exhibition offers a poignant reflection on violence, resilience and hope through art charged with symbolism. His works transcend their materials, transforming objects associated with death into testimonies of life and beauty. By celebrating the suffering of the innocent and paying tribute to the victims of conflict, the artist invites the public to meditate on the possibility of peace and a better future. In this way, the exhibition is a vibrant call to memory and reconciliation, affirming that even in the midst of darkness, hope can emerge.