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VOL5 October 2013
Drawing Inspiration from China

Artist Akonga Jonas Theodore, from theDemocratic Republic of the Congo, is a Ph.D candidate at the Central Academy of Fine Arts inBeijing. Since he came toChinain 2003, he has been active in promoting China-Africa cultural exchanges. He designed a plate and a certificate, which were presented toChinaat the gala dinner hosted to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Organization of African Union (OAU)/the African Union (AU) inBeijingearly this year. Recently, he spoke to ChinAfrica about the message he expressed in the design and the inspiration he has drawn from his 10 years’ stay inChina.

What message do you want to express in your design of the certificate and the plate?

I used the flag and the emblem of African Union to show the unity of 54 African countries, while the logo of the Golden Jubilee of OAU/AU is used to show the theme of the celebration: Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance. In the design, one can also find the signs and symbols for hope, unity, peace and development in the African culture. The eight lozenges on both the left and right sides of the certificate are symbols of Africa’s eight regional economic communities, demonstrating economic integration.

The background of the certificate is the AU headquarter conference center built by Chinese inAddis Ababa,Ethiopia’s capital. I used this picture to show the great work thatChinahas done in Africa, because this is not the only one. Back in my country,Chinahas helped us build schools, hospitals, stadiums, and now Chinese are helping us build roads.

When designing the certificate, I was thinking how to make people read it without explanation. Through several versions of edits and changes, I wanted to make my design more readable, comprehensible, and even attractive.

How do you integrate Chinese culture into your artwork?

In one of my paintings, I used the Great Wall as the symbol of peace, which is an artistic reading of a fact. The main reason the Great Wall was built was to [protect]Chinafrom outside attacks and to keep lives and land safe inside the wall. It brings peace inside the land and saves lives. In my painting, it signifies preserving my own culture from the invasion of other so-called great cultures.

Another example is that I used the Chinese character, which means door, in my painting. What’s the symbolic meaning behind the door? My interpretation is: when one wants to get in or get out, one must be right and correct. So I give the Chinese door the interpretation of “doing things in the right way, or being honest.” I made it abstract, and tried to keep its symbolic meaning in my painting.

How can you integrate both African and Chinese culture in your artwork?

I was quite impressed by the ancient Chinese art of “face-changing” in Sichuan Opera. Chinese performers change masks back and forth in the blink of an eye. Once, I integrated African masks with Chinese “face-changing” culture in my painting. I illustrated African masks as emotion of human beings, the power of the mind and the speed of thought. I paid special attention to the transition from happiness to sadness. I took one side of the mask from an African ethnic group and the other side of the mask from another group, and tried to mix them together in the painting. The beauty of the painting resides in the middle. This idea comes from Chinese culture, the art of “face-changing.”

Has your style of painting been influenced by Chinese culture?

When I started painting, I used more cold colors, but now I use more bright and warm colors, for example, the red color. In my country, we have another view of the red color. We see red like blood, but once I came toChina, I saw that people like to wear or dress in red. When people get married, they are wearing red. When you have celebrations, you see red there. Being surrounded by Chinese painters, seeing what Chinese do in their work, exchanging ideas with them, I gradually understood that Chinese people believe red brings good luck. As an artist, you need to understand the symbolic meaning behind (cultural traditions). Chinese culture has even influenced my personality. I think I am not an angry man like I was before. I read more about Taoism and Confucianism, which gives me more inner peace.CA

(To contact Akonga J. Theodore: akongatheo@gmail.com)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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