An international student of Lovely Professional University, Fabrice Kankolongo, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, had a ‘Solo Painting Exhibition’ at the Dr. Satya Paul Art Gallery, Virsa Vihar, Jalandhar. Titled ‘And Those Hidden Realities”, the exhibition presented his latest works in mixed-media, charcoal, acrylic, and collage on sheet. A wide range of themes from fertility, spirituality, grandeur, justice, destruction, imagination, reason, innocence, war horrors, terrorism, friendship, to happiness, desolation, initiation, and optimism were explored by him, in diverse artistic techniques. LPU Pro Chancellor Mrs. Rashmi Mittal encouraged him carry forward his mission of bringing an awakening among all through his artistic delineations.
Visitors to the exhibition left impressed by Kankolongo’s talent and the variety in his technique. His themes touched something in every viewer, because they were universal and could readily be identified with. He is a medal winner at the national level competition organized by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), where his use of colours to symbolize sensations, problems, and emotions was greatly appreciated. He prefers to use symbols and signs from nature for their universal meaning. Some of his works displayed were named Red Moon, Red Lips, Impact, Look of Hope, and Scream.
Fabrice shares that he wanted to pursue Law, but motivated by his mother, who maintains a collection of all his early childhood and schooldays’ sketches and drawings, he entered the realm of Fine Arts. He has also got an education in interior architecture at LPU. Defining himself as a mixed media painter, Fabrice says, “My creative process and my main themes are inspired by my observation of nature, culture, politics, African as well as global society. No doubt, we live in a world full of turmoil and disharmony, but everything seems to be interconnected here, so my themes are universal in approach. For me life is a discovery, we just have to lift the lid to discover what is hidden and be full of joy.”
