Who is Bâ Simba?
Born in the heart of the Democratic Republic of Congo and currently living in Los Angeles, the young emerging artist Bâ Simba draws inspiration from both his personal history and his research into African art history, such as ancient Kemetic art, Bantu masks, and pan-African sculpture.
Bâ Simba employs a characteristic methodology — complex geometric patterns and strong lines create an inimitable style. Patterns define his work and process and bring structure to the artwork. His paintings are seas of rich imagery, the intricate layers of patterns resting in front of colour sit against his central story-telling features and figures.
Bâ Simba often works in found material such as old doors and disused table tops — a choice that was initially borne out of necessity that has become an aesthetic associated with the artist’s expression. Whether he is painting pan-African heroes such as Steven Biko or Patrice Lumumba, or painting portraits of figures from his life, Simba repeats a language of symbols such as angular fish and parallel waves to represent his tribe and ancestral home on the Congo River in Kindu, DRC, in a manner similar to ancient hieroglyphics. Bâ Simba’s work addresses both painful and triumphant pan-African histories, as he paints to connect his generation to a much larger and richer culture of ancestors, both recent and ancient. “I think my work is driven by the need to connect my ancestors to the progeny today. And that has always been the goal for Bantu art since the beginning of history,” Simba says.
A deep, thoughtful, and exciting young artist, Bâ Simba’s work has been the subject of two breathtaking solo exhibitions in Los Angeles. Want to learn more about the artist and his work? Click here to view the artist’s available works, and don’t hesitate to contact us if you need any more information!