KITO MBIANGO

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Belgian-Congolese artist Kito Mbiango draws from his wide-ranging travels and photographic experience in producing works that reflect the infinite dance between nature and humanity - man’s unity and duality. The world of available ideas and image sources are at his fingertips, collected and connected in large-scaled “transfer painting” and sensually appropriated, reflect the collage and assemblage techniques and tendencies of Rauschenberg in the Postmodern era and beyond. His awe-inspiring universal tapestries excite the imagination by crossing and blurring cultural borders between Eastern and Western spheres of influence.

Mbiango implicitly understands the importance of finding a visual voice. He does so by a focused meditation on a particular theme as seen in each of his works. He culls source material from vintage photographs, scientific illustrations, cartography and literature. He then transfers these disparate images onto fabric, canvas or wood through a variety of techniques, which evoke ancestral spirits and voyages through time.

Born of a Congolese father and Belgian mother, Mbiango shows a sensibility steeped in both African and European cultural directions, simultaneously. His work is both a reflection of history as well as a visceral snapshot into infinity as Mbiango gathers both art and its viewer into a deeply spiritual achievement. His grandmother, trained in the art of ikebana in Japan, opened Kito’s eyes to the geometry of nature, which is central to his work. 

The unifying themes of light and resonance bathe in a kaleidoscope of rich complex layering and graphic embellishment of colours, textures, and geometric patterns, which echo the golden spiral of existence. His work speaks nostalgically to the viewer’s primal intelligence by engaging him in a reflection on the infinity of humanity.
Every conceivable culture (in which Mbiango feels he can trace himself) will find its way into Mbiango’s musings, keeping his practice in a consistent state of growth and experimentation.

Kito began his career as a photographer. Over the past 15 years, he has been evolving towards creating original artwork that naturally combines the illustrative elements of photography and painting that unite his disparate cultural influences. His goal is to celebrate ageless culture. Kito’s art brings imagination to reality. 

Kito Mbiango was born in Brussels in 1966. He is completely self-taught in his technique and utilizes multiple production methods including image transfer and mixed media assemblage all applied meticulously by hand.
 His paintings have been featured in publications such as Town & Country Magazine, Architectural Digest, Miami INTERIORS (Tashen) and Luxe Magazine.

Non-profit groups, including UNICEF, Voices United, Haitian Art Relief Fund FOTORELIEF, and HEAL Africa, have also featured Mbiango’s work.