Paul C Malaba: Robinienhof
Interview: Gamze Can. Published on 16. SEP 2024.
It’s great to have you here today. I’m looking forward to learning more about your exciting work as part of GOLDSTÜCKE. Let’s take a closer look at your creative processes and the ideas behind your project. I’m curious to see how you’ve translated your inspiration into your work and what message you aim to convey.
— Are you familiar with Gelsenkirchen and GOLDSTÜCKE? What motivated you to apply for the Open Call?
I’m not familiar with Gelsenkirchen yet, but that’s about to change. I know GOLDSTÜCKE through social media. My main motivation was to present my digital work in a country and space that aligns with the subject I’m addressing, especially since it’s in a European city where the debate on global issues is intensifying.
— How would you describe your artistic practice?
My artistic practice involves a conversation between three mediums: installation, video art, and performance.
— What aspects were particularly important to you during the creation of your artwork?
It was during the mixing of images from the Bemba ritual videos with flora and fauna using my computer. I noticed that this digital tool was bringing together what colonization and conflicts had separated.
— What core idea inspires your current work, and what message do you want to convey with it?
During ancestral spirit invocations, ritualists make physical efforts rhythmically accompanied by drum sounds, creating a harmonious atmosphere. It is this harmonious atmosphere that I hope to see in the world where the wealth of others contributes to the well-being of all in a win-win environment.
— Your work highlights the invisible links between Western consumption and conflicts in Congo. How important is exploring these global relations in your work, and what reactions do you hope to provoke in the audience?
I am often moved whenever such themes or subjects are explored in the world, as they provide an opportunity to finally express, denounce, and alert on a level that resonates with a large number of people. What is happening in my country is a perfect example of human cruelty, as it poses a risk to my country and responds to this year’s Diplopia theme, “What is at risk?” If European countries historically divided African countries like a pie at the Berlin Conference, why not provoke questions in the public of the same countries? Receiving feedback from the audience will be a significant contribution to the continuation of this thought-provoking work.
— Do you have a favorite artwork from this year’s GOLDSTÜCKE program?
Mine (Death of Laughter). I am quite curious to see all the works I have seen as still images presented in the other selected works.