Überreste

(Remnants)

Christophe Ndabananiye>

Event:
ARTIST TALK: "ERINNERUNG"
Thursday, January 17, 2013, 19:00
Prof. Dr. Johannes Fabian talks with artist Christophe Ndabananiye about „Ukumbusho“. The Swaheli word means „Memory that triggers thinking" or "memory work"
More informationen about the event which will be held in German

Finissage
Thursday, January 31, 2013, 19:00
With LIVE Musik

In his exhibition "Überreste" ( "Remnants") Berlin-based artist Christophe Ndabananiye starts out on a search of tracks. Between the age of 9 and 17 he livd with his family in Kigali (Rwanda). in 1991, at the age of 14, he was admitted to the École d'Art de Nyundo in Rwanda and studied there until the building was destroyed by the 1994 genocide.

In the fall of 2011 he went back to Rwanda for several months. He looked for former classmates and was inspired by the people, the countryside, the cities and the arts. In several photographs Ndabananiye documented found shoes that were left lying about, seemingly carelessly.

In his paintings, the artist is currently working almost exclusively with marine varnish. To him, this material in key aspects expresses what interests him most in painting: change, aging, renewal and life. When working he covers the surface with several layers. The result is a wavy surface, similar to the aging human skin. The resulting work seems to be alive and to be in a process of constant change. The creative process becomes visible. Simultaneously, the spar varnish creates a reflecting surface, which allows the viewer to become an element of the image.

Since 1995 Christophe Ndabananiye has been living mostly in Germany. He studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts Saar in Saarbrücken and now lives in Berlin. In addition to his artistic activities, he works as a research assistant at the Department of Art History of Africa at the Institute of Art History at the Free University Berlin. 

Introduction: Dorina Hecht ( in German)