Original work/Jean-Bosco Monsengo Shula. Oil on... Lot 93

Original work/Jean-Bosco Monsengo Shula. Oil on canvas with rhinestones, illustrating sappers. Signed and dated 2005. TBE+. 80 X 100 cm SAPE = Society of ambiance and elegant people. This cultural and social movement originating in the DRC is compared to dandyism. Its followers, called sapeurs, dress at the great couturiers and practice "sapologie", the art of "underwear". More commonly known by his artistic pseudonym, 'Shula', Jean-Bosco Monsengo (1959) began his artistic training under the tutelage of Moke, one of the pioneers of the Kinshasa school of popular painting that emerged after the independence of Zaire. Shula's narrative scenes are inspired by everyday life, but contain a satirical edge. The works boast of the figures they depict; social issues such as political injustice and overpopulation are shown as the consequences of greed, ignorance and neglect. These themes are also central to the work of her teacher, Moke. But Shula stands out for her acidic color palette. Her work has been included in a number of high-profile international exhibitions, including "Kin-Babi" at Galerie Cécile Fakhoury in Abidjan in 2013-2014. Most recently, at "Beauté Congo - 1926-2015 - Congo Kitoko" at the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art in Paris. Auction records for a work by the artist: - Bonhams in 2014: EUR 11,000 - Bonhams in 2019: 9,500 EUR - Piasa in 2018: 7,000 EUR